Scheme Of Fate
by thebugroom
Summary: Bella Swan is a vampire. She was attacked and turned before she even left Phoenix. How does Bella handle being a vampire, and finding out she is not the only one in Forks?
1. Chapter 1 Phoenix To Forks

Author's Notes: Thank you so much for reading and for sending me your reviews. Everyone has been so generous and supporting and its wonderful to see. As this is my first fanfic and my first writing I've shared, I'd love to know what all of you like the best about this story. I know you're all clambering for more, and many of you have been worried that I won't continue the story. Those of you worried about that, don't. The entire story is written from start to finish and just needs editing and beta reading. If you're an experienced beta and/or author and have a fairly fast turn around, drop me a note. I may accept another beta to get the chapters out to you all faster. Thank you again and I really hope you enjoy!

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

Prologue

What is pain, really? Is pain the sensation of unpleasantness in mind or body? Is pain merely something that is difficult for us to bear? Is there the possibility that the experience of pain can bring about changes in ourselves that make us greater than what we were? Than what we are? I think so. I've experienced more than my share of pain, I think. Pain killed me once and I like to think that I came out of the experience stronger than I was before.

Though it is the polar opposite of pain, I wonder if joy affects us in much the same way. Joy does as pain, takes us within itself and spits us out on the other side as a new person. Are we changed for the better through either of these experiences just the same?

Chapter One – Phoenix to Forks

As much as I hated the small town that was Forks, Washington, I knew this was the right decision to make. The cold didn't matter anymore, and it was getting harder and harder to hide the results of my missing time from my mother, who was far too perceptive when she was actually paying attention. She'd nearly had a breakdown when I disappeared, and I hated leaving so soon after, but hiding the results of my transformation in Phoenix was becoming impossible. There were only so many sick days that I could take from school when the sun was out in Phoenix, and she was starting to obsess over me being 'sick' so much.

I'd never been a rebellious teenager and blaming her marriage to Phil for my decision to run away, then move away, was not a lie I expected her to believe for long. Thank goodness she was too worried about me to ponder too much that my lie really wasn't a logical one. But it also gave me a good reason to get her to agree that my moving to Forks and living with Charlie was really in my best interests.

I really didn't have any problems with Phil, but unfortunately for him, he was the easiest scapegoat in this entire fiasco. Actually, Phil was great for my mom. He loved her impetuous and unpredictable ways and she adored him right back. I didn't have to worry about leaving her so long as Phil was there to make sure there was gas in her car and food in the cupboards.

So, here I was, on a plane to Port Angeles, glad that I was able to schedule the flight during a day where there wasn't a whole lot of sun in Phoenix. The plane ride: that was a whole new experience in torture. Being stuffed into tight quarters, with delicious-smelling people nearly in my lap, was testing the limits of my self-control. It was easier to control this desperate need for blood when it was my darling, erratic mother. I had an aversion to dealing with even the thought of hurting my mother, but crowds of harried airline travelers were so much easier to want dead. It was much harder not to bite people who irritated me, tried to shove me and constantly got into my personal space.

However, I was determined. I was not like the thing that had made me into this. It was one of the things I wondered about over and over: why he had left me alive? I should have died out in the desert that night, and I had no idea why I had instead been left to burn, to return home to my mother with this horrible need for blood. I had found, however, that the need could be tempered. I did not have to be the monster that my attacker was. It never really went away, the burning in my throat didn't stop, but I could resist the draw so long as I was stuffed full of animal blood.

Any rabbits, foxes and coyotes which had been in danger of over-population had been dealt with for a little while in the Arizona deserts, thanks to me. It wasn't all that tasty, but it made sure that there wasn't a trail of drained people in my wake. Last night, I'd snuck out of the house and made one last foray into the desert, making sure that I was not only full, but over-fed, trying to deal with the long flight the best way I could.

As the plane taxied into the gate, I waited impatiently for everyone to disembark, not wanting to draw attention to myself if I rushed out. Instead, I sat quietly and held my breath. Keeping my eyes downcast, I made my way to the nearest restroom to check my eyes. One factor of my change was difficult to disguise; my eyes had turned a bright crimson red, while contacts were a solution, they dissolved within the space of hours. This made it very difficult to hide the unnatural color.

Black contacts took my eyes to a rather muddy brown color. This was not close what they were before, but dark enough that I didn't stand out as being non-human. Lucky for me, the next obvious change wasn't so obvious. My skin had been almost vampire pale before the attack and a bit of light makeup over my face and neck kept my mother from being too suspicious. The makeup didn't help at all in the sun, I glittered like a socialite's jewels, but it did help give a little more color to my skin.

My father was unobservant enough that I was hoping the contacts were the only thing I was going to have to use to disguise myself. But the contacts were very expensive considering how often I had to replace them. High school students didn't make a lot in the first place and I'd had to quit my job after the attack, unsure of my control. My savings had taken a sizable dent for the sake of ugly mud-brown eyes.

As I stood in front of the mirror, I quickly glanced into my eyes, too fast for anyone around me to see, and saw that my contacts had melted away. I could tell when my vision wasn't obscured by the thin plastic, but I tried to not replace them until they were completely gone. I reached into my bag and pulled out another set of contacts. No sense in scaring Charlie, who was sure to be waiting for me in the police cruiser in the loading zone outside.

They felt like a huge chunk of plastic wedged in my eyes when I put the contacts back in, and it took me a few seconds to become resigned to them. There was no way I was going to become used to them, but resigned was acceptable at least.

Now that I looked somewhat human again, I headed out of the restroom and into the baggage claim to pick up my one suitcase. I tried to walk at a human pace out to the curb, where I knew Charlie was waiting. I was not looking forward to the drive to Forks stuffed into a car with my father.

This trip to live with Charlie tested my self-control in ways that I had tried to plan for, but when it came down to it, was nearly impossible to do so. You can be prepared and feel like you are ready to sit surrounded by delicious smelling people for hours on end, but it doesn't quite compare to the torment of the reality.

I needed to hunt again. It would have to be tonight, and thankfully Charlie's house was bordering the forest and I would be able to escape easily. Another one of my reasons to move here: I sure there was more game, but also a greater variety. Desert coyotes were tastier than hare; they were not nearly as prolific, but they were larger. I was looking forward to the thought of larger animals here where there was plenty of land for them.

As I'd thought, the long drive to Forks with Charlie was interminable. Thankfully, Charlie wasn't a talker like Renee, and most of the ride was made in silence. I tried not to breathe. At all. Instead, I concentrated on fidgeting. I had found pretty quickly, when I'd returned home, that people moved a lot. Their bodies were so soft and weak that any position was uncomfortable to keep for very long and that meant a lot of shifting. Movement that my body didn't need any more. I could hold the same position perfectly for hours on end.

Noticing this, I'd watched Renee and Phil as I realized that no part of me reacted to **anything **the way that it did when I was... well, human. It was hard to think about, hard to consider, I probably couldn't consider myself human any longer.

So I focused most of my attention on moving: making my chest go up and down as though inflating and deflating with breath, blinking several times a minute - though this shifted the contacts on my eyes uncomfortably - shifting the weight of my body in the seat and crossing and uncrossing my ankles repeatedly. It wasn't perfect, but it was distracting, at least.

By the time we arrived at the house in Forks, I was desperate for fresh air. I found it so very difficult to be trapped in the car with my father, but I was not going to be the cause of his death. I'd controlled myself for weeks with Phil and Renee, and I was even able to attend school fairly regularly on overcast days without anyone getting hurt, so I knew that I could do it.

It took supreme effort to step slowly out of the squad car, and I took in a deep, bracing breath of fresh air as I did. I stood there a moment, inhaling slowly, before I turned carefully and went to get my suitcase from the trunk. Charlie was already there, of course, insisting on carrying it himself, though I could easily pick up his car and carry it into the house, but I didn't want him to know that, so I just smiled and followed him into the house.

I hadn't been here in years, forcing my father to take time off in the summer. I insisted that we go other places, warm places. Looking back, it seemed very childish of me to have refused to come here, especially since temperature as a whole mattered to me so little any more.

Charlie led the way upstairs and I glided after him, holding my breath again as we made our way to my old room. It had always been my room, since my birth, and I thought it was amusing he felt that he needed to escort me up.

"Well, here's your room," he said as he opened the door for me and set my suitcase on the bed. "I tried to update it a little for you, since you were a kid the last time you stayed here. Put in the computer your mother insisted on, and got a new bed. You do like blue, right?"

He gestured to the sheet set and comforter covering the new bed and I smiled.

"Yeah, Dad, blue is fine. Thanks." He'd gone to a lot of effort to get things ready for me to come and stay here. It looked like he was more excited about this than I thought. Ah, Charlie. He'd always had a hard time expressing himself, but the effort he took in making sure I had a comfortable space said a lot about how much he cared.

"Well, I'll leave you to settle in," Charlie continued as he made his way awkwardly to the door. "Let me know if you, uh, need anything. There's a game on tonight I thought I'd watch."

My dad and sports. He'd be camped out in front of the TV the rest of the night.

"Sure, Dad. Thanks again. I'll just work on unpacking," I assured him that I'd be just fine while he obsessed about the game.

Just like that, he was gone, door closed behind him, and he was on his way to get a beer before he found his way to his favorite arm chair for the rest of the night. I could hear him rustling around downstairs before the blare of the TV came on and I knew his attention was captured.

I tried to move slowly as I worked at unpacking my suitcase, sure that Charlie would not pop in suddenly but still, it was less to hide. I'd found that with Renee it was just easier to continue to do things as I had always done them, moving at a human pace. It still didn't take long to put all my clothes away in the dresser and the small closet; I hadn't brought much with me. Honestly, I didn't have many cold weather clothes and I'd have to go shopping soon to keep up the illusion of being human in the cold. I looked around when I was done, going over in my mind the things I needed to do, and then reached over to turn on the computer to drop my mom an email.

She'd become particularly obsessive about where I was since the time I'd been missing, and she'd want to make sure that I got into town alright, and that I was safe with Charlie. Sending her an email sooner rather than later was easier than dealing with the demanding phone call I was sure to get if I didn't.

The email didn't take long, and I shut off the computer again and settled back onto the bed, leaning against the wall with several of my favorite books at hand. Jane Austen was always a favorite, as were the Bronte sisters. I also had a serious weakness for the poetry of Elizabeth Barrett Browning. She lived a real life love story and it reflected so beautifully in her words that I couldn't help but devour them.

I set the other books aside and opened my favorite of her collections, Sonnets from the Portuguese. Mostly they were about her love for her husband, but there was a line at the end of one of them that described so well how I had felt since I regained control of myself after the change:

_Of desolation! there's a voice within _

That weeps . . . as thou must sing . . . alone, aloof.

This was my life now. I would always be apart from everyone else. Alone. Aloof. Desolation. I dropped the book beside me on the bed and tilted my head to look out the window, watching the ever present rain mist up the air and cloud the sky. The rain set off my mood quite well, covering the town, and me, in darkness.


	2. Chapter 2 You're Not Alone

Author's Notes:

NEW VERSION: This is the new version after the changes suggested by the incredible ProjectTeamBeta beta, mcsc2008. She's awesome and she did a great job on this.

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

Chapter Two – You're Not Alone

The weekend with Charlie was really long so I actually looked forward to going to school Monday morning. He bought me a truck from Billy Black, a friend of his in La Push, so now I had human transportation. I loved the truck. It was an old classic, and despite it being loud, it was awesome to not have to worry about Charlie dragging me everywhere in his patrol car.

As I pulled away from the house, wincing internally at the noise the truck made, I smiled to myself. I cooked for Charlie all weekend and it became obvious that left to his own devices, his nutrition was seriously lacking. The man lived on pizza delivery, even though he had an entire freezer on the back porch filled with fish.

Charlie was insane for fishing, but it seemed that cooking it for himself was something that was almost beyond him. I offered to take over the kitchen, and he was relieved more than grateful, scarfing down the simple meals I made with the meager offerings of his kitchen. I planned on stopping at the market to pick up some groceries on the way home from school. If I was going to be feeding my father, he was going to eat things that were good for him. I felt like it was least that I could do to take care of him, to thank him for taking me in when I needed it so desperately.

I was deliberately early to school, wanting to get into the office and get my schedule before everyone started to arrive. I needed to explore the campus a little, learn where everything was, getting used to the smell of humans before I was surrounded by their delicious scents. It also wouldn't hurt to have a few escape routes worked out in case I needed to get some fresh air fast.

I parked in the staff parking lot and made my way into the office, walking up to the desk where a red-head woman was staffing the office. I cleared my throat to get her attention. She turned and looked at me and I could see her eyes widening and my smile faded as I introduced myself.

"I'm Bella Swan," I said softly, and I could see the recognition in her eyes. "This is my first day. My father said that I should already be enrolled?"

"Oh! Of course. I'm Ms. Cope. In fact, I have your schedule right here. We were expecting you this morning." She offered the papers across the desk toward me, smiling in welcome.

"The one on the top is your schedule. You need to have all your teachers sign the next one, indicating that you've checked in with them. The one on the bottom is a map of the campus so you don't get lost," Ms. Cope instructed me as she looked at me again, confusion in her eyes.

I noticed that humans often had that reaction to me now; they weren't sure that it was safe to be around me. They were right, it wasn't safe to be anywhere near me.

I took my schedule and smiled at her as I thanked her. I made some effort to try to look as non-threatening as possible and turned to go. I deliberately tripped over the non-existent threshold as I walked out the door, wanting to seem as frail and clumsy as I was in my human life. That seemed to help things somewhat in Phoenix.

Heading back out to my truck, I started it up again to move it into the student lot and took a moment to look down at my schedule. I memorized it instantly, one of the new benefits of my altered self; I never worried about forgetting anything. It looked like English was first and I frowned. The first thing I wanted to get my hands on was the book list. I hoped they had a more diverse reading requirement than the one at my prior school. I hated the thought of being forced into reading Mark Twain. His most popular works were acceptable to almost everyone; I just didn't like reading them. To me, he was a dirty old man. I was hoping that if they put me through that again, I could avoiding the re-read and recycle my essays from Phoenix; It wasn't cheating since I had already done the work.

I hopped out of my truck and I realized I was being far too graceful. I let my shoes catch on the asphalt as I walked toward the building I knew held the English department from the map, memorized at a glance. After a moment, I realized not only was everyone looking at me, but also at the pace I was walking, I probably didn't seem entirely human. The thought made me hesitate, and as I deliberately stumbled over a crack in the black top of the parking lot I caught a scent that made me stop entirely.

It was somewhat familiar and yet not. I wasn't used to running into things that smelled completely new, and this one had me totally baffled. It was sweet, not delicious like the people around me, and I was taken aback. I hated being the center of attention, and it was distracting me. I had to figure out what that scent was. I had no idea if it was something I should be worried about.

As I entered the classroom, I hung my coat on the pegs with everyone else's then turned to assess the classroom. It seemed standard for Forks, with a small anteroom right at the entry where wet outdoor things could be left before opening up into the larger portion. I went directly to the teacher to get my form signed and then picked a seat in the back where it wouldn't be so easy for everyone to constantly watch the new girl. I could see them from the corner of my eye, the other students; they were staring at me. Great. I was now center stage. I could hear the whispering across the room easily.

One of the boys sat down next to me and I turned my head to look at him. I tried to look surprised to see him there even though I easily heard him tell his friends that he was going to join me.

"Hi. I'm Mike Newton," he said with a broad smile, obviously trying to flirt.

"Bella Swan," I offered back reluctantly. I had no idea how I was going to fit in with these children, but for my parent's sake, I had to try – I just didn't feel like one of them anymore.

"Ah, the Chief's daughter," Mike stated as though everyone in the school didn't already know exactly who I was.

I gave him a slight toothless smile in response, as though impressed by his remarkable abilities at deduction. Thankfully, the teacher called the class to order and I didn't have to try to make nice anymore.

The next classes were Government, Trigonometry and Spanish; they were much the same. I was amused by the friendly and mostly well meaning students who walked up and introduced themselves. I actually met a few people that I was going to make an effort to try and befriend.

Throughout the morning, however, I kept catching hints of the scent I noticed in the parking lot. It wasn't always the same. In fact, there were five distinctive variances of it and it only served to make me more concerned.

By the time lunch hit, I was becoming tired of the human charade and the human males who were far too eager to make sure I knew who they were. I walked into the cafeteria with Jessica Stanley, a vivacious girl who wanted to make sure everyone saw her making nice with the new girl. I agreed to sit with her and her friends; it was better than sitting alone and drawing even more attention to myself.

I found soon after my transformation, my body didn't absorb human food and I needed to choke it up later. Still, it was easier than dealing with Renee or Charlie getting all suspicious about why I wasn't eating. It was evident to me, making some effort at consuming human food was necessary for the deception. I limited myself to a lemonade today, though, not up to the extreme of eating cafeteria food. That stuff was barely palatable when I was human and was only more disgusting now. I knew I was on edge already and figured that solid lumps of greasy pizza sitting uncomfortably in my stomach would not make things any easier.

I tripped over the table leg as I sat down and tried to make it look like I barely caught myself as I dropped into the chair. I noticed, without a thought, the students who joined us. Mike Newton was here, along with a couple of the other boys that made sure to introduce themselves to me: Eric Yorkie and Tyler Crowley. Several girls joined us, including Angela Weber and Lauren Mallory. Angela I liked; she seemed so sweet and uncomplicated and genuinely welcoming when I met her in one of my earlier classes. Lauren glared at me openly. I thought she probably didn't appreciate all the attention I was getting from the boys. I would have loved to tell her that she was welcome to them, but figured that probably wasn't the best way to blend in with the human teenager persona I was working for.

There was a flurry of talking as everyone recapped their weekend: the assignments they were working on, upcoming tests. There was a spring dance everyone was excited about and that seemed to be the major discussion for the girls. It was a girl's choice dance and all but Angela seemed more worried about what to wear rather than whom to ask. The boys kept nudging each other and looking at me, speculating in their own way on the dance. The main whispering was about who they thought I would ask. Well, wouldn't it surprise them all if they knew I had no intention of going?

I was a menace of a klutz as a human and I saw no reason to act as though I was anything else now: hence the deliberate tripping. It was easier for everyone if I tried to be the human I used to be as much as possible. Avoiding dances had been my way of protecting the other students, and I was happy to continue that illusion, though my reasons were different now.

Jessica was in the middle of catching me up on the local girl's choice traditions for dance invitations as the cafeteria door opened and another group of students entered.

I was assailed by the same fragrances that concerned me earlier, but now those scents were fresh. I now knew the explanation for the differences I noticed. There were five of these students and therefore, five unique versions of the scent.

My eyes widened and I dropped my head. I hid my reaction behind the curtain of my hair. I left down today just for this purpose - hiding when I wanted no one to see my face.

"Who are they?" I whispered to Jessica softly, my head tilting toward the other students as they entered the lunch line and grabbed trays. My eyes took in the clues, so obvious to my new eyes; they were no more human than I.

"Oh, that's the Cullens," Jessica answered, finally grateful that I was looking to her for the local gossip. They stood out so much that no one at the table seemed surprised by my curiosity. "They're Dr. Cullen's children. Some of them are actually adopted, but the two blonde ones – they're twins – they're just foster kids." Jessica added with the air of someone imparting something particularly juicy.

She leaned toward me, the scent of her blood wafting right into my face and causing me to stiffen in pain from the burning.

"The big one, Emmett, he's 'with' the blonde, Rosalie," Jessica gestured with her hands, trying to be discrete, but she might as well be waving huge colored flags in the air. "The little black haired one, Alice, she's 'with' Jasper, the tall blonde guy, the one who always looks like he's eaten something sour."

Jessica was more than delighted to offer this apparently scandalous tidbit, as her eyes twinkled in malicious delight.

"I can't believe their parents allow it. They all live in the same house, you know, like siblings. It's kinda gross if you think about it," Jessica added with the fervent tone of someone willing to take anyone else down for her own benefit.

I was amused by the logic of her human teenage mind; Jessica was sure they were sleeping together. I glanced over at the four she described and the way they interacted with each other. I couldn't hold back a small smile. Jessica was probably right, at least about the big guy and the blonde bombshell.

My eyes moved over the Cullen family again as I pushed my hair out of my eyes. As I glanced at the fifth Cullen, I focused on the one that didn't seem to be attached at the hip to one of the women. My eyes stopped there and I couldn't bring myself to look away. I was held in place suddenly as his head turned and his eyes met mine. Elizabeth Browning's words came to me again:

_The face of all the world is changed, I think, _

_Since first I heard the footsteps of thy soul_

"What about the other one?" I shook off the strange feeling as I turned to look at Jessica. I was surprised at how much I needed to hear her answer.

"Oh him. That's Edward Cullen. He's too good for any of the girls in this school," Jessica replied haughtily. I wondered when he shot her down. There was an edge of anger to her voice that didn't surprise me as much as amuse me.

I had to work to not let any amusement show on my face at Jessica's distain. I was distracted enough that I lifted my head and glanced back at the table where the Cullens gathered. My eyes skimmed over the couples and stopped at the younger looking one, the one Jessica identified as Edward, my eyes met his once again.

I saw him as clearly across the room as if he were standing right in front of me. Suddenly, the color of his eyes struck me. They were a warm, rich liquid brown: the color of honey – creamy and welcoming. My eyes widened in surprise and I focused in closer on his amazing eyes, looking for the line where the contact lens should be – the one that hid crimson irises from the masses. I couldn't find it.

Where I had been initially fascinated, now I was confused and I looked away quickly. My fascination turned to fright as the reality of the situation struck me hard. There were vampires in Forks and I found them. The last vampire I met killed me and I couldn't be sure these five wouldn't do their best to finish the job. I wasn't sure if I wasn't going to be dead for real very soon.

I deliberately lifted the bottle, drinking some of the lemonade in front of me. It took me some effort to consume the half of the bottle I already drank and I was grateful as the bell rang. Everyone at my table stood and gathered their things to go to class.

I fell into step with Mike since he was in my next class and offered to show me the way. As I rose, I tilted my head to the side, trying to observe the table where the Cullens were sitting without being obvious about it. I noticed that Edward was still watching me, Alice's hand on his arm. His head was tilted slightly toward her as though he were listening to her say something to him. I grew more confused, it was an odd posture since she hadn't said anything aloud.

As I walked into the Biology classroom, I left Mike and went right to the front to have the teacher sign my form. My mind kept looping over the same sentence over and over and over again: _ There were vampires in Forks and I found them_. I wasn't sure how to hide from them, especially as we were attending the same school.

I was desperately confused. Why would vampires, other than me, torture themselves by attending high school? Nevermind the fact that high school itself is torture – the burning thirst was leaps and bounds worse than that. What would make the burning worth it? Mostly, I wanted to know how they hid their eyes without the contacts I relied upon.

The biology teacher, Mr. Banner, signed my form and gestured me toward an empty table near the back as he handed me a book. My lab partner wasn't here yet, but I hardly took notice. The fan in the front next to the teacher's desk was blowing the scent of fresh human blood over me repeatedly, making the burn in my throat consuming.

I sat down, gathering my notebook and a pen from my backpack, ready to take notes like everyone else. It must appear as though I have a horrible and imperfect memory, I reminded myself as I opened my notebook. I took comfort in the moment, the familiar actions of the human charade.

I felt my lab partner sit down as the fan turned to blow on the other half of the room. The scent of one of the vampires hit me fresh and hard and I looked up in utter shock as Edward Cullen sat down next to me, his eyes meeting mine.

"Hello," he said in that softly musical voice that was so very similar to the one that I heard from myself, though his voice was deep and rich. I barely contained a shiver of delight at the sound of it. "I'm Edward Cullen," he continued in a formal tone.

I stared at him, not sure how I should respond to him. I didn't really expect him to attack me in the middle of class, but I didn't know if he wasn't just waiting until afterward. After school, perhaps?

"Bella Swan," I responded after a moment, my voice husky with my uncertainty, and frankly, fear.

Mr. Banner stood just then, calling the class to order, and the fan turned again. It was blowing right on me and I stiffened, holding my breath. The teacher was standing right in front of the fan, blowing the concentrated smell of his blood directly toward me. I looked away from Edward in an effort to bolster my control.

"The chief's daughter?" Edward said after the fan turned away again. He had been quiet during the most difficult moments for me and his voice was full of surprise when he spoke again. My eyes darted to him again quickly.

I gave him a short nod, afraid to speak as the bloodlust was still flooding my mind.

"You're Chief Swan's daughter?" Edward asked again. His voice was soft, deliberately not drawing the attention of the teacher as his eyes took in the things that humans didn't see or didn't want to see: the too pale to be human skin, the hint of red under the obvious line of dark contacts, the inhuman grace hidden by feigned clumsiness.

"Yes," I answered as I found my voice again, my control strengthened for the moment. I returned his look with mock boldness.

His eyes met mine, and the look in them hardened perceptively. I could see his eyes take in the amount that the contacts had faded just in the time we were talking. His vampire eyes would be able to discern the slight difference in shading. Then his voice dropped, too softly for humans to hear.

"How old are you, Bella Swan?" his voice was stiff and on the edge of threatening.

I took in another deep breath, a stress reaction. I was now struggling with the urge to race from the room at inhuman speed and disappear again. I realized that Forks was no longer safe for me. My sanctuary, my last chance at living a human life, was gone. I couldn't answer, I had no idea why he wanted to know how old I was. Wasn't it obvious? I was in high school for heaven's sake.

"How old are you?" He repeated once more as his hand shot out. He grabbed onto my upper arm as I shifted my weight in preparation to flee if it was necessary. A shiver shot through my spine and I became aware that it wasn't entirely fear I felt at his touch.

I thought I could pull away if I tried. He wasn't holding me that hard, but I didn't want to draw more attention to myself. I was already the center of attention – the new kid in school in a very small town.

"Seventeen," I offered hesitantly, just as softly as he had. I could hear the confusion that was now obvious in my voice. I sacrificed the ability to cover my reactions as I took a stronger hold on the stronger urges, the fight or flight ones.

"Are you really?" Surprise echoed in his tone as the confusion had in mine.

"Yes." _Did he expect me to lie?_

His hand tightened on my arm, and I glanced at the front of the room to see if the teacher noticed anything. He was completely oblivious and Edward seemed to be careful about what he was doing in order to avoid notice. He hid his hold on me behind the curtain of my own hair.

"How long have you been seventeen, Bella Swan?" he asked again, and it suddenly became obvious to me what he was asking.

My eyes lifted back to Edward Cullen's gorgeous honey-colored eyes, and they were fierce. Dangerous. I was too frightened not to answer.

"Since my birthday last fall," I answered honestly and then took an unnecessary bracing breath. I decided to answer the question he wanted answered, instead of the roundabout one that he actually asked. "I have been like this for two months," I whispered almost too softly for his enhanced hearing to hear and far too fast for human ears, even if it were loud enough.

His hand tightened on me even further, his eyes widening in surprise before he turned abruptly to the front and his expression cleared. He suddenly looked as innocently human as I figured it was possible for him to look.

"The Krebs Cycle," he answered the question that Mr. Banner asked without any hesitation at all. If I were human still, I would have blushed. I had been so absorbed in our discussion that I didn't notice we'd drawn the teacher's attention, though I was quite aware of the need to not do so.

The lecture continued and Edward still didn't release me. After Mr. Banner was completely focused elsewhere again, he leaned slightly in my direction; he returned the conversation where we left off a few minutes earlier. His voice was too soft, too fast for human ears.

"We're going to take this discussion out to the parking lot after class. Do not draw attention to yourself. You seem to have done well enough today so far." Edward's voice was low and threatening.

He made it clear that unless I was actually fast enough to get away, I was going to do just what he said. His hold on me made sure that I understood his meaning exactly. I nodded my agreement and he finally let me go. My arm throbbed where I could still feel the imprint of his fingers, but as I sensed his eyes remain on me, I felt a shiver that _wasn't_ fear slide down my spine.

My outward focus was directed toward the teacher again. I tried to look like I was paying attention to the lecture, though I bit on my lower lip nervously. I could not help but stiffen when the fan blew directly in my face time after time, increasing the burn those seconds it was directly on me.

I did not like the way I felt. The last time I was this frightened, I was bleeding out on the desert floor as my attacker and his companion raced away and laughing in delight, sure that I would shortly be dead. This feeling of fear strained against my will, urges arose that made me want to react in ways that I was desperate to suppress. Fear wasn't the only thing I felt when his attention was focused directly on me, I admitted to myself, but it was by far overriding.

I let my head drop slightly and I brushed my hair forward to hide my face from Edward's perceptive gaze. I doodled on the notebook in front of me, paying attention to the lecture in a less dominant portion of my mind.

My thoughts kept going back to my parents. I arrived three days and I was going to have to leave again. It was that or the Cullen siblings were going to kill me. They surely weren't going to share their territory with me, even if I was careful to only drink the blood of animals. That would likely appear downright insane to them.

I was going to have to disappear – for real this time. Renee would lose it. Charlie would likely head up the search to find me. I didn't want to do this to my parents. They went through enough two months ago when I was missing after the attack. How could things possibly get worse?


	3. Chapter 3 Pixie Interference

Author's Notes: Here we are with Chapter 3, Pixie Interference. Yes, I was brave enough to subject Bella to Alice on her very first day of school. But it makes sense, as I hope you will see. I'm thinking of a little contest to solve a problem I haven't solved yet on a later chapter. Let me know if you're interested in being given only vague clues to return some ideas to me. I do have a reward! A little section in one of the later chapters in which Jasper lovingly refers to something he calls 'Alice's Be A Woman For Your Man' speech. Yes, it is no less than bribery. If there is interest, I will put something at the beginning of Chapter 4.

ProjectTeamBeta Beta: Kris – Thank you, Kris! They're fabulous, I would recommend them to any author who is looking for a beta for Twilight fanfiction. They've done a really great job.

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

Chapter Three – Pixie Interference

Biology was long. Too long. Painfully long, yet I never wanted it to end. I was at the point where I hoped they wouldn't leave my dead, mangled body out in the open on school property. One of the students would find me, they'd call the station and my dad would be right in the middle of my crime scene.

Edward's hand touched my shoulder briefly, too briefly for anyone else to have seen. I felt the pressure and I knew what it meant. It would draw too much attention if he dragged me out of the classroom, but he made it clear I was going with him, whether or not I wanted to. I let my hair fall into my face again as I gathered my things and put them in my backpack. I moved with deliberate human slowness as I rose to follow Edward, sure to grab my coat before we made our way outside.

As I walked, my head remained down; I was hiding my terror behind the curtain of my hair. I was afraid that my expression would give it all away and I couldn't afford any of these human children to see what reflected in my eyes. Not only was I sure that my fear was reflected there, but my contacts were dissolving again and I didn't think Edward was going to let me escape into the bathroom to replace them. I wondered how much he was like the man that had taken me into the desert, did they know each other?

A glance to the side confirmed that he was still there, walking silently beside me. His face was impassive, completely expressionless. I swallowed nervously. The burning in my throat was such an ever-present thing that I felt strange when this new influx of feeling overcame the thirst: fear, nervousness, uncertainty.

The fear I felt was laced with aggression, a feeling not unfamiliar, but still very new. It burned like fire through my blood. Some part of me wanted to attack the cause of my fear. This part of me wanted to take him down, hurt him until I wasn't afraid any more. I couldn't let that part of my brain take over. It was not only the personal knowledge and conviction that I was not a murderer, but there was something about Edward Cullen that made me feel that hurting him would hurt me.

I followed Edward to the parking lot, stopping at a shiny silver Volvo parked near the edge of the lot. It was only several rows down from my ancient pickup. I looked up, wanting to see if my immediate death was coming, and my eyes met his again.

He gasped, his fingers grabbed my chin, turning me so he could see my eyes clearly as the last of my contacts melted away. There was no hiding them now, so bright a crimson red that no one could miss it. His grip tightened on my jaw and I winced at the tightness, I knew it wasn't pretty, but I didn't understand the anger that reflected in his face now.

"You're a newborn, just as you said," he said, as though I should know all about that. "Where is your sire, newborn?" His voice was still soft, vibrating with what I thought was anger.

"My sire?" I wasn't sure what he was asking. "You mean the one that made me like this?" That was a logical leap in my opinion and at his nod I let out a slow breath. "I don't know and I hope I never see him again."

His eyes narrowed in surprise and he turned to observe the small dark-haired girl that I knew was his sister Alice, approach us. He moved into place as though ready to defend her as she got close and I rolled my eyes.

"Edward," she greeted in an upbeat, lyrical voice that was filled with satisfaction and delight. As she turned to look at me, she squealed in outright delight and leapt on me, breaking past Edward's defense as she hugged me tightly. "Bella!"

I stumbled back. She was tiny but she packed a wallop, especially when she leapt on unsuspecting people. I nearly vibrated with the urge to throw her off me, my instincts seeing the hug as an attack. Taking deep breaths, I forced away the instinct to react violently and stared at her in surprise.

"Um, hello," I greeted her politely, but I was trying to distract her long enough for me to break her hold on me.

After a moment, she dropped back to stand beside Edward, looking smug.

"Alice," Edward's eyes rolled as though he were used to her antics, shaking his head slightly as he watched me. He watched me warily as though he expected me to attack at any moment. He seemed surprised when I didn't.

"We're going to be great friends," Alice informed me, her tone downright gleeful. "I can see it."

Her last words seemed to clear up Edward's confusion, if not mine, and his expression turned amused as he tilted his head to look down at her. He seemed distracted for a moment and then turned to look back at me again, his eyes appraising.

"She's a newborn, Alice," he informed her, though it sounded like he almost expected her to already know.

"I know," she confirmed and smiled at him knowingly. "I saw her coming."

Edward turned a surprised look on her again and Alice looked even more satisfied.

"Yep, I hid it from you," Alice was gleeful again, popping the 'p', and I shifted to lean against the silver car.

Leaning was part of my human charade, done specifically as several students passed us on their way to get something for the next class from one of the cars.

"She's crazy if she thinks she's going to befriend the Cullens," I heard a hostile voice I recognized as Lauren's across the parking lot. Her tone was liberally laced with jealousy. I looked up in surprise to see Lauren talking to Jessica and turned my head away again before they could see that I had noticed them.

"They don't like anyone," Jessica agreed, as the two of them walked into the door of their classroom and I was glad the presence of the teacher in their classroom put an immediate end to their discussion.

I turned my attention back to the pair before me. Lauren and Jessica's exchange made me even more nervous about them. I had no idea what was going to happen next. I was off balance and I did not like it at all. Alice looked somewhat sympathetic, but I still wasn't sure about Edward. He'd been extremely hostile earlier. Edward watched me, Alice watched him and he kept nodding like he was answering someone's questions.

I cleared my throat after a moment, looking back at Alice before I met Edward's eyes again.

"If you're going to kill me, would you please do it gently so that when my Dad finds my body he doesn't freak out?" I asked softly, looking away again. I was strong, obviously a lot stronger than a human, but I didn't figure I had a chance with two older vampires. Not that I was willing to just lay down and die, I just wasn't sure I could win.

"We're not going to kill you, Bella," Alice answered as though it was the silliest thing she'd ever heard. Her tone was completely matter of fact, as though there was nothing more absolute than that. "Besides that, if we were, there wouldn't be enough left of you to find."

"You're not?" I knew my surprise showed in my voice and my face as my gaze turned back on the little elfin woman and then I gasped in shock. "Well, if you get rid of my body, my parents will never know for sure what happened to me!" I protested vehemently.

"We have no intention of killing you. I said we were going to be great friends, didn't I?" Alice's sure words made Edward laugh softly and he shook his head as she continued. "But even if we were, it takes a lot to kill one of us."

Edward tilted his head toward Alice and he leaned toward me just slightly. "Alice is a bit crazy, but of course we love her. She can tell the future, Bella. It's just a little quirk of hers."

Alice shot him a dirty look and stuck her tongue out at him as she turned to smile at me again.

"And Edward can read minds," she informed me with a haughty tilt of her head.

I felt cold as sudden panic flared. He can read my mind? Then why was he acting so funny in biology? Insisting on me answering his questions and then getting upset and practically dragging me out here to talk. I must have looked panicked because Alice suddenly laughed.

"Just not yours, Bella. My dear brother has no idea what you're thinking. It's driving him nuts," Alice's bell-like giggle filled the air again and Edward sighed, rolling his eyes at her again.

She ignored Edward as she grabbed my hand. It seemed so easy for her, but I found it was impossible for me to be so unconcerned. She started to drag me back toward the school.

"You have to go to your last class and get your enrollment form signed. Wow, they made you take PE? We'll have to see if we can find a way to get you out of that. You'll have to be especially careful, but you've done an incredible job today," Alice went on and on just like there was nothing unusual going on. She completely ignored her brother's presence. "Don't worry, you'll be just fine, the teacher will let you spend the entire period up on the bleachers, so you don't have to worry about today."

Edward had been following along behind us and at Alice's words, his hand shot out to grab me again. His fingers wrapped around the same arm he'd taken a grip on earlier and I winced. Geesh, I was starting to get sore.

"She's a newborn, she can't go to PE, Alice! Seriously, what if someone falls into her or something?" Edward was trying to drag me back toward the silver Volvo as Alice tugged in the direction of the school. It was a good thing I was a vampire or they'd have torn me in two.

"Edward, she's been doing this since she was just a few weeks old. All on her own. She's never bitten a human," Alice's glorious voice informed him in a matter of fact tone. "I already told you that."

Edward stopped pulling on me so hard and I sighed in relief. I started to tug my arms to get away from them, I wanted both of them to let go of me. Edward did. Alice didn't. She started dragging me toward the gym, but Edward continued to trail along behind us.

"Yes, Alice. I saw that. But how?" Edward wasn't about to give up so easily. Alice stopped him at the gym doors, with a hand on his chest.

"You'll have to ask her that, Edward," Alice's smile was downright mischievous. "For now, it's more important that she go to this class and not draw attention to herself." Her topaz gaze turned to me, holding me in her sight. "At least, not any more than she does just by being new in town."

"And she'll meet us back at your car after school so we can get this all worked out," she informed him with a tilt of her head. "Right, Bella?" Her tone became pure steel and she waited for my confirmation. I could only nod; it was the only way I was going to get free for even one class period. "The silver Volvo. Alright?"

Alice then looked up into my face and frowned as she noticed my eyes again. She stopped me just outside the gym door and held her hand out. I blinked at her in confusion.

"Your eyes, Bella. You can't go into class like that. I'll hold your bag for you while you fix it," Alice's tone was gentle and amused.

I blinked at her, glanced at Edward and then slung my backpack off my shoulder. I had a set of contacts in the front pocket and was able to get them and toss my bag back over my shoulder without looking at Alice. I didn't know her, and my backpack held too many things that I needed to trust it with someone I didn't know. A moment later, I looked back up at her as I tossed the empty containers into a nearby trash can and gave her a moment to inspect me. It seemed to make her happy to verify that I was properly disguised.

"There. Much better," she agreed, smiling and clapping her hands together delightedly. "Now, go on. We'll be waiting for you after school," she was sure to remind me.

I nodded again and escaped into the gym, relieved to get away. I had survived that encounter, but no matter what Alice said, I wasn't sure that was going to last. Besides, what was that comment about it being so hard to kill one of us? I could think of some fairly horrible ways to die. I had already died once in a pretty horrible way. I certainly didn't want to die again, especially so soon after the last incident.

What was it about me that attracted danger? As a human, I was plagued with life-threatening incidents, so this should not feel unusual to me. But I had never felt so tired, even as a human. I felt wrung out and stretched thin. I longed for the quiet silence of my room in Charlie's house. Instead, I went to PE.


	4. Chapter 4 Kidnapped

**Author's Notes: I got no offers to help with my writer's block, so the offer to read Alice's speech about 'Being A Woman For Your Man' still goes unclaimed. I did discuss it with one of my betas, however, and I think I may do a single one-shot off the idea to close that little loophole that still bothers me. The quote near the bottom is also from 'Sonnets From The Portuguese' by Elizabeth Barrett Browning.**

**Thank you to everyone who read the prior chapters and most especially to those who left reviews. Yes, the story is completely written, but it isn't completely edited and I am more than willing to hear things that you might like to see in the future. If it can be reasonably incorporated, I will consider it. Let me know what you like! This really is my first story and I want it to be enjoyable to read. **

**Deepest thanks go to my betas, ProjectTeamBeta (and especially mcsc2008) for their work on this story and this chapter. This really would not be as good as it is without them and any errors or faults that remain are all mine.**

Chapter Four – Kidnapped

I was late to class, but I knew I would be when Edward dragged me out into the parking lot. I figured late was better than dead. I stopped just inside the door to adjust to the new contacts on my eyes. It never got more comfortable to wear them.

I was surprised, and not surprised, when Alice was right; the teacher did let me wait out the class on the bleachers. I spent the time watching the other students play. Mike Newton was in this class with me also, and he got knocked in the head once when he was watching me more than playing the game. I hid my snicker at the idiot he was making of himself.

Jessica noticed the attention I was getting from Mike, and when she didn't think I was looking, she glared at me openly. The looks got particularly dark when Mike got nailed in the head. If she thought I had given him any encouragement, she was delusional. I made it a point to appear as though I did not notice and instead looked anywhere else. She was welcome to him. Just the thought of getting that close to a human made my throat burn so much more. Friendship was something where I could keep my distance. A boyfriend would expect to hold hands, share kisses, to go on dates in the dark -- like movies. Way too dangerous for me to do if that human wanted to live.

The end of class came too soon for me and I gathered up my things and made my way down the bleachers and outside while the rest of the class went to get dressed in their street clothes. No sense in sitting there driving myself nuts when I could be outside in the fresh air. Exercise made their blood that much more enticing to me; it moved actively through their veins, warming up everything that it touched.

The burn increased to torment during that hour, becoming so consuming that I'd held my breath throughout the entire class. I used a stack of books, holding it up against my chest to hide the fact that it wasn't moving with breath.

Before I headed to the parking lot, I had to finish the human things that were required of me today, and I hurried over to the office. I wanted to drop off the form and get back to the Volvo before they came looking for me. Ms. Cope was standing in front of her desk talking to Edward Cullen of all people as I entered. I blinked in surprise at seeing him there but stepped out of the way of another student coming in behind me. The girl dropped some papers on the desk and then left again. I stood back by the door to wait, it wasn't polite to interrupt.

"I'm sure that something can be done, Ms. Cope," Edward was saying, using what must have been his most persuasive smile.

"I don't know, Edward. I'll have to ask Coach Clapp and Mrs. Goff if they're willing to make the change." Ms. Cope's eyes were a little unfocused and she looked like she might start hyperventilating at any moment.

He was really pouring the charm on thick and I wondered what he was doing.

I cleared my throat to let them know I was there as their discussion seemed to have wound down, and I offered Ms. Cope my signed form before turning to leave. I felt Edward beside me after he gave his farewells. He was still being charming with the office secretary and I was a bit miffed. How could he be so friendly and nice to everyone but me?

The final bell rang as we left the office and the parking lot flooded with students on their way home. Alice was already leaning against the car when we got there, a bright smile on her face. Edward followed me like I was an unpredictable atom bomb he expected to go off with no forewarning, taking out the entire town of Forks with me.

"Hi Bella! Edward," she greeted us, though she didn't tackle me for a hug again. Her eyes absorbed my pursed lips with a long suffering sigh. "I know. It's not easy. I agree with Edward though, it's amazing that you are able to resist!"

Just then his family approached, I knew their names from my discussion with Jessica. Jasper was the first and he hurried over. My eyes widened as I took in the sight of him. Jasper was covered in scars, crescent shaped bite marks, over nearly all of his visible skin. I gaped; how did any vampire feel safe around this man? I'd bet every vampire who gave him one of those bites was dead. Just the sight of him inspired fear on a primal level. Alice, however, leapt off the car and right into his arms with a squeal of delight. He caught her and hugged her tightly as the rest of the group came up behind him.

The dark haired vampire, the one Jessica had named Emmett, was huge. He looked just as dangerous as Jasper, with all his bite marks, but Emmett looked to be raw strength. He only looked curious as he looked at me standing there. I have to admit, as dangerous as he seemed, I didn't feel as threatened as I did when my eyes strayed to Jasper.

Rosalie came to a stop next to Emmett, looking me up and down with disdain before she tilted her head at Alice and then sighed and shifted her weight on her high heels as women often do. At least, I'd noticed that most women did. I had never dared to wear anything so high off the ground.

Edward looked down into my face. I couldn't help myself, I tilted my head back so that my eyes met his and I couldn't look away. There was something that drew me toward them -- toward him. It brought hope in me that this strange group of vampires really didn't intend to kill me.

"I think this is a discussion best had at our house," Edward said after a long moment of just looking back at me.

My control was so strong in the things I held inviolate, and I could not control myself as my vampire nature insisted that I take an involuntary step back at his suggestion. A moment later, I brought myself back under control. I had to concede that it was better than taking them to my house. At least I wouldn't be taking a bunch of unfamiliar vampires straight to my father, but I still didn't want to let them drag me off into the unknown.

"I vote for neutral territory," I said, a little less insistent than I'd intended.

"I'll ride with her," Alice suddenly threw out, mowing right over my objections. She smiled at me, ignoring any protest I made. "Don't worry, Bella. This will be fun!"

"Fun?" Being dragged off into the unknown by vampires was what got me killed the last time. "I'm not sure that letting you all take me wherever you want me is a good idea." I did have some sense of self-preservation, even if it was a new thing.

Jasper made a noise of reluctance, looking down at Alice with open worry in his eyes. She touched his hand and then winked at him.

"Trust me!" Alice giggled at the protest on his face and grabbed my hand again, dragging me toward my ancient truck.

Edward seemed for a moment like he was going to object or stop her. Instead, he turned and climbed into the Volvo, reaching for his cell phone as he watched Alice drag me across the parking lot to my truck. They were gone before I looked back again.

Alice was a fast talker and she seemed too sure of everything. I was quite reluctant to let her drag me off and I balked when she tried to stick me in the passenger side of my own truck.

"Bella," she objected as I stopped cold.

I couldn't get my arm away from her; she was clamped on me like a vice. While I thought I might be able to force her little hand off me, I'd have to break things like bones and that just made me cringe. I didn't want to hurt anyone.

"Bella," Alice's tone turned soothing as she stepped closer to me, shortening the distance she was pulling on my arm. I took a step back, automatically.

"I know what happened, Bella," she said to me softly. Most of the parking lot was empty by now, but if any humans had remained, they couldn't have heard her.

"You know what happened?" I wasn't sure what she was talking about. What had happened? Was this one of her 'visions' she was trying to tell me about?

"Yes, when you became one of us. But you have to come with me to tell the rest of them or they'll be totally unreasonable about the whole thing, especially Edward," she rolled her eyes with what was obviously a fond smile.

"He's very protective of his family, you see?" she tried to explain about her brother. I knew she didn't want me to think badly of him, and really, I understood that reasoning.

"Alice, if you know what happened, then you know the last time vampires took me off, nothing good came of it," I tried to plead with her. There was more on this earth than I understood. I still wasn't sure about her visions, but I was willing to take it at face value until I saw a reason otherwise.

"I know, Bella, but we really won't hurt you. I promise, nothing bad will happen," she gave me a grin, her head tilted slightly.

"You've seen that, too?" I had to ask; my lips pressed together and I sent her what I hoped was a wry look.

"Of course!" she then nudged me back toward the truck and waited until I climbed in the passenger seat. She commandeered my keys and then jumped in beside me and started it up.

Alice never stopped talking the entire way to her family's house. I could only sit quietly and listen to her as she talked about things like slumber parties and shopping trips and pedicures.

I had to admit, she was darling. It was hard not to be affected by her joy in life. I'd never seen anyone get so excited about shopping trips before, not even the most girly girls in my high school in Phoenix. She was charming me, though I was still worried about my fate. I was sure that, singularly, Alice's brothers were enough to tear me to pieces, but collectively, there was nowhere I could run, no place that I could hide.

I was going to have to see this through, for good or ill, and hope for the best. I could only pray that the entire episode didn't end in tragedy for my parents.

Alice turned off the road quite far out of town and onto a little dirt drive that I'd have never seen if I'd been human. The drive continued into the trees for much longer than I expected before it stopped in front of a large house. I gaped at the house, shaking my head at how lovely it was before Alice shifted to look at me and my attention was automatically captured by her.

"Bella," she started and I couldn't hold back a shiver of foreboding, "I know this isn't easy for you, but you don't have to worry about anything." She gave me a reassuring smile, but I could only respond to her smile with a measured look.

"Oh!" she said suddenly and then grinned at me, "I should probably tell you that we're vegetarians too."

I blinked, and she was gone, already out of my truck and waiting for me by the front fender. A moment later, she turned to face her brothers and Jasper, who came out of the house to stand on the porch. Apparently, Edward drove a whole lot faster than my ancient truck could go, and Alice had taken some time to convince me. I jumped out of the truck and met Alice where she waited for me. When I reached her, she threaded her arm through mine.

"Vegetarians?" I questioned. I sometimes ate fish with Charlie when it was necessary, but I didn't think that was what she meant.

"We don't hunt humans, Bella," Alice's tone was surprised that I didn't already know this. "Like you! It's why our eyes aren't red. It's from the animal blood."

I stopped cold, tugging on her until she came to a stop as well.

"Then why are my eyes red?" I was incredulous, I had to know. We apparently ate the same, yet I had to work so hard to cover the crimson in my eyes so I didn't scare all the humans into running away screaming.

"You're still new, Bella. You're filled up with your own human blood," Alice smiled at me, as though delighted to give me this reassuring tidbit. "Give it time. In a few months, the red will continue to fade and then your eyes will be like ours, black when thirsty and this lighter brown when we've fed."

She pulled on me again and I let her lead me into the house. The men pointedly filed in behind us and closed off any avenues of escape.

When we got inside, Rosalie and another woman were waiting for us. I glanced at Alice in surprise and then let her lead me over to the dark-haired woman who appeared to be waiting to meet me.

"Bella, this is our mother, Esme Cullen. Esme, this is Bella Swan. She's Charlie Swan's daughter," Alice made the introductions formally, politely, precisely.

Esme looked delighted, reaching out to clasp my free hand and pressing it between hers. Jasper tugged Alice to his side in a gesture that was adorably protective. It looked like Edward was not the only one that thought I was going to go nuclear.

"Bella, it's so nice to meet you." The Cullen matriarch's smile was warm and inviting. She made me actually begin to believe Alice's assurances that they really weren't determined to destroy me.

"Thank you, Mrs. Cullen," I wasn't sure how to respond to her greeting. Renee would have a fit at not saying something about the house or how nice it was to meet them, but some part of me still wasn't sure they weren't going to tear me to shreds. I just couldn't bring myself to thank them for inviting me to my own death.

With a tug on my hand, Esme drew me further away from Alice and led me into the huge living room to sit on the white leather sofa. My eyes widened at the elegance of the room. Everything was a study of shades of white. The entire house, all that I had seen, was elegant. It was just like the woman who settled onto the couch beside me. I noticed all this as I watched the rest of the family file into the room, taking up their spaces nearest their beloved.

All of them did this, save Edward, who stood behind the couch where Esme led me. It was though he expected me to attack his 'mother' at any moment. I was pretty sure that there were no blood ties between any of the Cullens, but he seemed just as protective of Esme as if she were his real mother.

Alice settled on a loveseat at the corner of the couch, dragging Jasper over to her, though he refused to sit down. He moved to stand behind her, watching me carefully. Rosalie dropped delicately beside Alice, Emmett settling on the arm of the loveseat next to her. I glanced behind me, Edward was still hovering, and then back at Esme as she tugged on my hands to get my attention.

"Edward told me a bit about you on the phone. He called when you were all leaving the school," Esme explained with a smile. "I am sorry that my husband was not here to greet you. He had an emergency at the hospital and couldn't leave just now."

I shook my head at her apology, shifting back slightly to lean against the back of the sofa. I was not sure if I could really trust this open welcome I was receiving, and I was thoroughly confused about mention of their father being at the hospital. That seemed completely out of place, maybe their father was human. Though I couldn't imagine how a human would survive in a family of vampires.

"You didn't know that I was coming, you could hardly be expected to plan for me in that short of time," I tried to reassure her, but she just smiled at me and then tilted her head in Alice's direction meaningfully.

"Actually, Alice told me this morning that we were going to have a visitor this afternoon, but she didn't see the car accident. Carlisle was called away to do surgery unexpectedly," Esme informed me with a smile.

I heard Edward shift in surprise and turned my head to see him shooting a glare toward Alice. No one seemed surprised when she smiled back at him with that satisfied look on her face again.

"Oh, sit down, Edward." Alice admonished him, "She's not going to attack anyone."

He hesitated a moment and then slid into the empty space on the couch beside me. I turned my attention back on Esme after darting a surprised look across the way at Alice. My attention was distracted for just a brief moment as a familiar series of lines made their way foremost in my mind as I felt Edward sit down beside me:

_Is it indeed so? If I lay here dead,_

_Wouldst thou miss any life in losing mine? _

_And would the sun for thee more coldly shine _

_Because of grave-damps falling round my head?_

I wondered if any of these people would spare a second thought if they decided my life had to be forfeit. I could feel a tingle where Edward's leg touched mine and those words took on whole new meaning to me. Would his life be affected at all if I was gone from this world?

Esme squeezed my hand, pulling my attention back to the here and now. She was smiling at me in that sweet, warm way that she had and then she tapped the fingers of her free hand on the back of mine.

"Tell us all about you, Bella. It is quite unusual to see a newborn alone, let alone with the control that you seem to have," Esme squeezed my hand again in a way that was probably meant to be reassuring. "Alice says you've never taken a human life. Of all of us, only my husband, Carlisle, can boast the same."

I nodded my head, confirming what Alice had told them.

"She's right. I have never taken a human life," I tried to concentrate on Esme and not on the distracting warmth that was Edward beside me. I took a deep breath. I knew what they wanted to know; they wanted to know why I was a vampire. They wanted to know what happened to me, who changed me. I glanced at Alice who had told me earlier that she already knew. She smiled at me encouragingly, so I focused on my hands, one still claimed by Esme, and decided that I would tell them my story. These were the circumstances that changed my life forever, and turned me into the inhuman creature that I was today.

It was very difficult for me to recount the events of the night that changed my life. I'd never told anyone before. I took a deep breath, focused my eyes upward again, on the sweet, kind face of Esme and my tale began.


	5. Chapter 5 Bella's Story

**Author's Notes: This is where Bella tells the story of how she was attacked and turned into a vampire. This chapter is the entire reason for the PG-13 rating and details actions of pain, cruelty and sadism. If you have a hard time with this, you may way to skip that over. That being said, I really don't think that it goes over the PG-13 rating in any way, it isn't graphic or gory.**

**The section break below is the word 'fate' translated into Greek, Hindi and then Russian. Some browsers may have a bit of trouble with it, I'm sorry if that is the case, but it looked pretty to me. :)**

**Disclaimer: Twilight, the characters etc belong to Stephenie Meyer. The idea of Bella being changed in Phoenix and _then_ tormenting Edward, that's mine.**

**ProjectTeamBeta: mcsc2008, dorothy's ruby slippers/mdnnc & kysouza3123 -- mcsc2008 spent hours with me working out the last little things. She is AWESOME.**

Chapter Five – Bella's Story

I wasn't sure the best way to tell my tale, much of what happened to me was difficult to even think about. I had to get through this without having an emotional break down. I could feel Edward behind me – silent, yet listening intently. After a moment, the words came on their own, and I became the conduit. I gathered my thoughts, and began...

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The night that I was attacked, I was walking back home from the market. Renee could not be trusted to do the shopping or the cooking; she was, at the best, flighty. Before she remarried, I was the one who checked her car to be sure it had gas, balanced the checkbook, and made sure there was food in the cupboards.

That particular night, Renee had some summer gathering for all the teachers the next day; she was supposed to bring a salad. She forgot to tell me, as usual. So, since she and Phil had plans that night, there I was, having to make sure that we had the things she'd need for her party.

I was walking beneath a street light that had gone out when something hit me in the stomach. I felt the shopping bag fall out of my arms and hit the pavement. My last thought was to worry that the things for Renee's salad would be ruined because I dropped them. Then, everything went black.

When I woke, my chest was throbbing with pain. I thought I might have a couple of broken ribs, and I could feel that I was lying on the ground. Opening my eyes, I tried to figure out what had happened. It was obvious that I wasn't in Phoenix anymore as I carefully sat up. I thought it was still Arizona, but I couldn't see the lights of the city. I turned my head, trying to see where I was and if I could identify any landmarks. Then, I saw them.

There was a blonde man and a red-haired woman, and they were watching me. The woman looked bored; the man looked pleased. As I tried to get to my feet, he walked over to crouch beside me. I slid along the ground a few inches to get away from him. It became obvious to me that I wasn't going anywhere very fast. It was quite difficult to move or breathe because of my broken ribs.

He smiled. I was gasping for air, obviously in pain, and his response was a smile.

"Hello. I was hoping you'd wake up in time for the main course. Now, it's time for you to get up and see if you can get away. Dinnertime is so much more fun when my meal is trying to escape," he said to me.

Though my human memories were fuzzy and unclear, the details of my last few minutes were not ones that I thought I could ever forget.

I tried to quickly get to my feet, but it took me several slow seconds. All I could think was that I wanted to be away from him and his creepy companion more than he wanted me to run. I didn't really understand what he meant about meals and dinnertime, though I had a feeling this wasn't going to end well for me. Pain filled my body and mind and impeded my ability to focus clearly on what was happening.

When I finally got my feet under me, I tried to run, but I was a complete klutz and I stumbled a lot over the uneven ground. I fell a few times and skinned my hands, making them bloody and raw. The more I fell, the more he seemed amused by my futile attempts. Just when I thought I'd gotten far enough that they were going to let me get away, the man suddenly appeared right in front of me, laughing.

"Well, you got farther than I thought you would considering how much you were falling down," he said as he walked toward me.

I took several steps back, but he just kept getting closer and closer. I turned and ran in a different direction. It seemed that as soon as I turned, he was already there, in front of me almost instantaneously. No matter what I did, where I went, I could not evade him. The last time, in the middle of my stride, I felt something hit my back hard enough to make something else pop, perhaps another rib. I hit the ground with some force, landing on my right hand. I _definitely_ heard a pop that time as my wrist broke from the momentum of my fall.

My cry of pain caused him to laugh again and then he gestured at me to get up. "Go on," he said, "see if you can get away."

I didn't think my chances were getting better. The harder I tried, the more injured I got, but I had to do something. I didn't have it in me to just lie there and let him kill me. So, I got up and started running again, holding my broken wrist to my chest. Suddenly, he was in front of me again. He pushed me brutally, though I noticed how little effort went into it on his part. It sent me to the ground and I rolled down a small embankment. I hit the bottom wrong, and the same hand took the brunt of my weight. I felt the bone break through the skin this time, and the smell of my own blood flowing so freely made me dizzy and sick. I'd never been able to tolerate the smell of blood. While I'd been able to force away my nausea and dizziness to keep running, I couldn't do it any longer. The pain I felt overtook my need to escape. My frail human body had reached the limits of its endurance.

I guess he decided that I wasn't going to be much sport anymore, and he jumped down to land beside me a moment later. I was hyper-aware of him as he walked up and grabbed my right arm, pulling it into the air, jerking me upward and dislocating my shoulder. His eyes fixated on the jagged injury where the bone had broken through the skin of my wrist.

"I was going to play with you some more, but you smell delicious and we're in a hurry," he said to me, baring his teeth. They glistened with moisture and I remember screaming from the pain of his hold on my arm. My thoughts were fading in and out through the pain. Some things I noticed with sharp understanding, others were covered in a haze. I felt fear though it was tempered by a kind of fatalistic acceptance. I had done what I could, but things had progressed beyond my ability to change what was happening to me.

That was when he bit me.

I remember screaming loudly over and over, pulling at my arm to try and get it away from him. He didn't stop hurting me. He moved from his bite to suck on the blood flowing freely from the injury at my wrist. He seemed to enjoy the pain this caused and delighted in placing another bite just to the side of where the bone poked out. The pain was searing. After that, his teeth left my skin only long enough to slice into other spots along my arm and neck, including a large bite just above the artery.

My vision had started to blur when I could feel the woman finally approach. She didn't seem happy about his little game, though that could only have been my pain-filled mind seeing things.

"Are you done playing yet? I want to get moving." She walked up beside him and looked down at me.

My vision deteriorated even further as I looked up at her and my hearing started to fade. I could barely feel it when he finally dropped my arm and stepped back. I fell to the ground with a puff of dirt and a soft thud. The impact of my body on the ground caused me to black out, I have no idea how long. I only know that I was blessed with the peace of oblivion for a time.

Then the burning started. I was forced abruptly out of comforting nothingness. The burning grew from the places where he bit me, through my arm and neck and into my chest. I remember trying my best not to make any noise because, if they were still nearby, I didn't want to give them any reason to inflict more pain. It was already growing past my ability to function.

Time lost all meaning when the burning started, I was just trying to live through whatever was happening to me. It got unbearable and felt excruciating. The pain that I experienced was absolutely indescribable. I knew that I could not be dead; death _couldn't_ hold the pain that I was feeling. Then it was over, just when I thought that I would be trapped in that burning hell for the rest of eternity. It left my extremities and then faded inward toward my heart. My heartbeats started to stutter even slower, skipping even more beats, one by one. Finally, my heart was still. The burning left, and I remained.

My throat burned though it was not remotely as bad as the fires of hell. I looked around, unsure what I would find. I thought perhaps I had finally died, but I saw desert around me. I was confused and I turned around in circles, looking for my attacker and his red-headed companion. I almost expected to see them standing there, but I was alone.

I got to my feet carefully, reaching for my broken wrist. I expected that I would have to hold it in place, but I was surprised to see that the skin wasn't broken any longer. As the burning faded from my body, it had taken the other injuries with it, leaving them whole and perfect. I felt no more pain. Other than the burning in my throat, I was fine. In fact, I was much more 'fine'than I ever had been before. Everything was better, but different. I was different. Something wasn't right. I always stumbled and fell so much that I constantly experienced some sort of discomfort, some twinge to remind me that I had fallen in some way within recent memory.

It was then, that a pack of coyotes ventured a bit too close. I didn't know if they were curious or confident in their numbers, but they thought to make dinner out of me, too. I am sure the smell of my blood saturating the ground beneath me was a draw. I know it made my throat burn with a terrible kind of thirst.

A pair of them came over to inspect me and I acted completely on instinct. I was in the air and on the first animal before I even knew what I was doing, and in the next instant, my teeth sank into its throat. I drained it dry. When I was done with the first, I went after the rest of the pack. I found and killed every last coyote in that pack, one by one.

Their blood didn't seem very appetizing; it didn't feel as though it was what I wanted most at that point. All I could think about was the thick blood running down my throat, and it helped with the burn. The blood eased it just a little each time as I drank.

I finished off four coyotes by the time the last one dropped from my hands, but the burning in my throat still consumed me. I wanted the burning to stop, and I knew to do that, I needed to find more blood. Further into the desert, I heard another heartbeat: fainter, faster. A heartbeat meant blood and that meant less burn, so I leapt after it. I wasn't aware at all at the time how much faster and more agilely I was moving; I only knew the burning thirst I felt.

The animal I heard was a rabbit. I tore into it, though it was gone so fast it was hardly satisfying. Then I went after another and another. They were small, so it took so much more. Any animal I could find was a sacrifice to my thirst until I managed to drink enough to dampen the terrible burn I felt. It might have been days or hours. I wasn't really conscious of how many animals I killed, though with my new memory, I could remember each one. By then, it didn't matter. When the horrible burning started to moderate, my head began to clear and I could think again.

I looked around, really trying to understand where I was. I noticed that I was nowhere near the area where I'd killed the pack of coyotes. I was currently on a hillock, higher than most everything around. I could see for miles and miles and miles, my sight was aware of things at a distance that no one should be able to see.

Then, the sun started to rise. I caught sight of a reflective sparkling and I turned my head quickly, noticing the way my skin shimmered. I lifted my hand up to the bright Arizona sun and turned it several times. Glancing around, I noticed that the sparkles were reflecting off me and onto everything else. I dropped my hand and looked down at the rest of me, all my bared skin reflected like the facets of a diamond. It hit me right then. Comprehension finally registered in my mind: I had been changed completely. I wasn't human anymore.

My thoughts were scattered in a million different directions, much like the reflections from my skin. My mind was processing everything that I was experiencing at a rate that I had never before encountered. The foremost level of my mind focused on the concept that I could not consider myself human any longer. I looked behind me at the last animal that I had found, my eyes absorbing the sight of the corpse laying on the ground -- drained and broken. I had siphoned the blood from the desert fox, consuming every drop. Was I a vampire now? My eyes strayed to the blood on my shirt, my hands. I had never been able to tolerate the sight or smell of blood before, just a hunt of the smell and I would drop cold in a faint. Now, instead of being repulsed by it, I craved it, my mind fading from rationality in the _need_ for more. My mind strayed away from that thought automatically, triggering my habit of using avoidance to deny this possible reality. If I didn't think about it, it wasn't real.

My next thoughts were of my mother. She would be worried about me. She would call Charlie and I was sure _that_ would not go over well. The first thing Charlie would do is get on the phone with the Phoenix police department and insist on an all-out manhunt. I had to find out where I was, figure out how long I'd been gone, and get word to my mother that I was safe. It didn't occur to me that I would be a danger to her -- that she might not be safe around me.

In the distance, I could see the freeway. I knew that if I followed the line of that road, I'd find out just where I was. Decision made, I headed toward the freeway, breaking into a run. I noticed that I didn't stumble as I moved over the uncertain terrain easily. With a smile, I sped up, the ground flying under my feet, and I marveled that I was so fast. It really didn't take long to reach the freeway with this incredible, ground-eating stride. I followed the freeway from a distance, heading in the direction that I thought would lead toward home.

Not long after I started running, I came across a little town along the freeway and slowed down to work my way around it. I had no desire to be found covered in blood and sparkling like a diamond in the middle of nowhere. Some part of me understood completely that the only way I was going to make it was to hide what had happened to me. I couldn't reveal to anyone what I was now. No one, not even my mother, could know just how different I was now.

I waited until dark before I made my way to the little gas station in town; one old man was at the register and a much younger man seemed to be restocking the shelves. When I reached the back of the little shop, it became very obvious to me that things were not going to be as easy as I thought they would. The smell of the two humans inside the shop was almost too sweet to resist.

I had the ability to think, and I knew that I did _not_ want to kill these two people. Foremost in my mind: I couldn't go back to my sweet, innocent mother with blood on my hands. Most particularly, I did not want to become like the thing that had killed me. I was determined that I was not going to be like the thing that ended my life. Not only that, but I didn't know exactly what had made me this inhuman being. Had it been the bites he had forced into my skin? If it had been, would my bite do the same to others? I was not going to inflict the worst experience of my life on someone else; no one deserved that.

It took all the control I had, but I didn't attack anyone. I found a quiet, secluded spot to wait as people came and went, getting gas and snacks. People talked about their trips, where they were going, where they had been and before long, I found what I waited for. A pair of college age girls talking about coming from Phoenix and heading to San Diego then, Tijuana. I'd noticed the direction they'd come off the freeway and the direction they went when they left. I knew where I was going now, and before someone noticed me, I made my way out of town and then took off again.

Things got immeasurably more difficult when I reached the outskirts of Phoenix. I was careful to stay out of sight when the sun would reveal my differences. On one of these forays into the outskirts of town, my reflection in the side mirror of a parked car revealed more problems than I originally calculated. My eyes were the brightest red I'd ever seen, as crimson as the most vibrant red poppies I'd ever seen in pictures. I couldn't hide this. What I was worried about most, however, was that I still thirsted for blood, and human blood smelled the sweetest of all. I'll admit I gorged on desert wildlife before I even got close to any of the towns. No matter what I did, the burning persisted. I saw my lack of indulgence as revenge on the one who'd killed me -- I would not be like him. It was the hardest thing I'd ever done, but I refused to capitulate to this all-consuming thirst.

Another one of my problems, was that my clothes were dirty, torn, and covered in my own blood. It didn't help my control; the scent of my own blood set off the burning in my throat constantly. I was ashamed of my actions, but I found a small house on the outskirts of town and stole some clothes off the clothesline. I didn't think anyone dried clothes that way anymore, but apparently someone liked the way they smelled or something. I hoped it wasn't because they couldn't afford drying their clothes any other way, I didn't have much money with me and I couldn't risk spending it unnecessarily.

I thought I wouldn't stand out so much with clean clothes, and I was able to move around in the streets a little more easily at night. I practiced my restraint, since I didn't want to get anywhere near Mom or Phil while I was still worried that I might attack someone. I would walk through the streets at night, my head down, hair covering my face. I worked solely on containing my desire to attack.

It took several days before I thought I was ready for a larger test of my control. Renee and Phil were not going to be test subjects, no more than necessary. I found a small specialty shop that focused on Gothic paraphernalia: lingerie, leather, wigs -- everything for your standard vampire wannabe. I thought I might not stand out so much here. They didn't know how far from reality they were. The monsters really did exist, but they didn't look anything like these people thought they did. I was hoping, however, that not only would they have what I needed, but they wouldn't think it too odd if they caught sight of my red eyes.

I was seeking something very specific. Some of these specialty shops sold unique contacts, solid white eyes, solid black, cat's eyes - things like that. I thought that perhaps something in a solid black would cover up the red irises. While it wouldn't be just like my original eye color, it would be enough to help me hide in plain sight.

Luckily for me, the shop was dark and mostly empty. The shadows didn't help my control, but it certainly made it easier to hide how different I must look. I made my way to the register and asked the clerk about the contacts I needed. I tried not to be so obviously startled as I spoke; not even my voice sounded the same.

They had them and I was able to purchase several pair and make my way out of the shop without anything more than curious looks. I don't know if they noticed the fact that my eyes were red, but if they did, they didn't say a thing about it.

I popped the contacts into my eyes after I left the store and walked past another parked car and its tiny side mirrors to test my theory. I was delighted when I noticed that the black of the contacts, combined with the red of my eyes made them look a muddy brown, not the best color, but I would be passable. The contacts were uncomfortable, obscuring my vision, but it was worth it for the chance to feel normal again. I needed to be able to return home and reassure my mother that I was safe, alive -- at least in the ways she could see.

I noticed very quickly that the contacts dissolved fast, in only a few short hours. What in the world made up the moisture in my eyes these days to eat up plastic as though they were sugar in water? I would have to be extremely careful about wearing them, making sure that I replaced them constantly when in the company of humans. I was glad that I had bought several pair, took care to hunt again and then headed toward home and my freaked out mother.

As I thought, Renee was absolutely out of control, jumping on me as I walked in the door. I managed to fake a stumble into the wall and held my breath carefully. If I was going to fail in this little experiment, it couldn't be my mother that would suffer.

My homecoming was worse than I thought it would be. Renee was ecstatic to see me of course, and there were many uncomfortable phone calls to Charlie since he was also freaking out.

I could not tell my mother that I had been kidnapped. She and Charlie would have insisted upon a police interview. They would want to hunt down the person who had taken me. I did not want to go through that. I was a terrible liar, and I could not guarantee that I would make it though the interrogations that Charlie was sure to subject me to. I had been gone for nearly two weeks, a very long time for the responsible person that I had always been. Instead, I went for the selfish teenager angle: Phil, who was really darling and wonderful for my mother, had stolen her from me and I didn't want to deal with him any longer.

Though it took some dramatics on my part, my parents seemed to accept my story, and I was able to _mostly_ step right back into my human life. The next few weeks were a distressing test of my determination. I tried to be the human my mother needed as much as I could. However, I had to run out into the desert a lot through the night to hunt. I also had to hide in the house from the sun so much that my mother started to freak out again. She didn't know that I had no choice; I sparkled like a Tiffany bracelet in the blinding Arizona sun.

It became obvious I had only two choices left: disappear again or go live with Charlie. I hated Forks; I'd always hated Forks. As much as I hated it, the very things I always vocally snubbed about the tiny, insular little town of Forks, Washington, had become the things that would make it possible for me to live a more human life. I would be able to continue to interact with my parents and at least finish high school.

It took me over a month to talk my mother into the transfer. I missed tons of school. I had to choke down, what to me, were extreme amounts of human food trying to convince my mother that I wasn't developing an eating disorder. I had to hack it up later, but she insisted on sitting there and watching me eat.

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As I neared the end of telling my story for the Cullens, I described the plans I'd made to move up to here: the reasons and the results. As I finished, I looked back up into Esme's face and was startled by the compassion and understanding I saw there. She believed me. Until I saw that, I had no idea how I felt. Now, I could put a name to it. I was relieved. Her expression gave me hope. If Esme and Alice believed me, then everyone else would have to go along. At least, I hoped so. I began to have some faith that I just might just live through this encounter after all.


	6. Chapter 6 Babysitter

**Author's Notes: What will the Cullens do with Bella now that they know how she ended up as a vampire? Keep reading.**

**Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.**

**ProjectTeamBeta: mcsc2008, Melissa. AWESOMESAUCE. What more can I say?**

Chapter Six – Babysitter

"Very interesting," I heard someone say from the entry to the room, startling me. I had been so absorbed in my tale that I hadn't noticed that someone else had entered the house. I had been so hyper-aware of everything since the change that no one had been able to sneak up on me before now. I stiffened, ready for anything, as I turned to see who it was.

A tall, blonde-haired man approached the couch where I sat with Esme and Edward. I quickly stood; my conscious mind translated the movement as a gesture of respect. My instincts told me that respect may be what I called it, but being prepared is what it was.

Edward leapt to his feet beside me, putting a restraining hand on my arm. Emmett stiffened and Jasper crouched down ready to launch into action. I was surprised for a moment at their instant response to me rising to my feet. I fought my own urge to respond defensively, knowing it would only escalate their own responses in a way that definitely made me less safe. The new vampire made no gesture that he even noticed my behavior; he went right to Esme and leaned down to place a tender kiss on her lips. Either he didn't care if I attacked him, or he didn't see me as a threat. Surrounded was he was by people who seemed ready to defend him, I didn't suppose that he was afraid of me.

"It is so very difficult to deny the thirst that I admit you are the first I have heard who has been able to do so on your own," he observed and I cast a curious look at Esme who was quick to make the introductions.

"Other than yourself, you mean," Esme corrected affectionately and then introduced him. "My husband," she soothed me with a smile, though I was pretty sure who it was from the way he kissed her, "Carlisle Cullen. Carlisle, this is Bella Swan. She's Chief Swan's daughter."

Carlisle nodded politely at me, acknowledging the introduction. The fascination and curiosity on his face were most evident. He didn't bother to hide it.

"I was able to deny my thirst just as you did, though I made it a point to stay away from populated areas for quite some time. I didn't trust myself. However, you had reasons that I did not, a family to return to that needed you," he paused for just a moment. "Your mother didn't suspect anything?"

I smiled as I settled back onto the couch, shaking Edward's rough grip off my arm. My mother very likely did suspect something, but my mother is not someone most people understand without meeting her. She is almost impossible to describe.

"It is possible that she did, but more likely, she was just so glad that I was home and 'safe' that she just ignored anything that didn't fit with what she wanted to believe," I finally admitted wryly, causing Alice to giggle.

I cast a smile over at Alice and noticed that she wasn't listening as closely as the others appeared to be. She was pulling on Jasper's arm, trying to coax him from his focus on me. He looked worried, perplexed and downright confused. At least, the sour look I'd noticed in school was gone.

"I can't," Edward said suddenly, catching the attention of everyone in the room. I turned to look at him questioningly. He was obviously answering a question that someone asked him, though I thought it might have been a silent question. I doubted I would ever get used to this mind reading.

"I can't read her mind," Edward repeated, his focus on Carlisle. "Alice has been hiding things from us. She's known about Bella for months. She showed me everything that happened as Bella described it."

My first reaction was indignation, followed by anger. I wasn't sure I minded Alice having witnessed my ordeal, but it was absolutely something I did not want Edward to witness. I closed my eyes, taking slow steady breaths until I ruthlessly subdued the anger. They were trying to help me, and they couldn't help the repercussions of their gifts. Once I gained control of myself again, I focused on the other things that mattered.

I was suddenly curious just how much Alice had seen. If she had seen it all, why was she the only one not surprised at my presence in town? Why wouldn't she have alerted her entire family that I was coming with more warning that just telling Esme this morning? All of this didn't add up quite right to me. Why was Alice hiding me, my arrival, from her family?

My eyes shot to her, the question in my eyes. Instead, I caught sight of Jasper staring at me in amazement. He'd dropped to sit on the arm of the couch beside Alice. She was smiling in a distant, vague sort of way. I looked back at Jasper and he shook his head at me, a slow movement that was a gesture of his mood more than a response to anyone, or so I thought.

"I've never seen anything like her," he finally said in response to my growing bewilderment. His words were directed at the room at large, and then he focused on me again. "Extraordinary. I have never seen a newborn have such control over her emotions. Your emotions swung around so quickly, but then you reclaimed control."

I groaned, dropping my head into my hands. Edward and Alice weren't the only ones who were gifted, I realized. Jasper seemed to be able to access my emotions in an uncannily accurate manner. Was there anything private and secret anymore?

"Okay, no more surprises for Bella," I said beneath the cover of my hands. "Are there any other 'gifts' rolling around the room that are going to totally embarrass me when I find out about them?"

Edward dropped down beside e again with a sudden bark of laughter. Emmett nearly fell off the arm of the couch, he was laughing so hard. I looked up and glared at all of them, but there was no real heat in it.

"So glad I could provide the comic relief," it slipped out of my mouth as I lifted my head before I could censor my thoughts. Jasper immediately started laughing in response and I sighed.

"Don't worry about them. It means they like you." Carlisle was trying to reassure me from his perch on the arm of the couch nearest Esme. He was smiling with amusement at their antics. "Don't take them too seriously."

"Bella, I know that you are very confused. There are many things in which we can offer assistance," Esme's voice filled my ears and my attention returned to her. My mother did teach me manners, and I wouldn't show the Cullen matriarch any disrespect in her own home.

"In fact, I know, for all of us, we see it as our duty to take you under our wing. There are things that you need to know about living as a vampire, and it will be much easier to have the support of people who understand." Esme's tone was perfect, maternal, soothing.

I felt mothered in a way that had never worked for Renee and me, I was more a parent in that relationship. I savored the feeling that someone cared enough to take care of me. I didn't know how to respond to her verbally, though, so I just smiled. I didn't want to be a duty, but there was no denying that I was completely clueless. I also knew that they weren't really giving me a choice. After a moment, I just nodded. If they were as friendly as they seemed and if they fought and succeeded in living with humans without hurting anyone, they knew things that I did need to learn.

"It would be best, as much as possible, for you to be here where we can talk and teach you things that you need to know. I know that you need to be there for your father," Esme continued along as though my agreement was only minor and they were going to take care of me whether I wanted it or not, "but there is no need to test your control more than is necessary."

"One of us should stay with her for awhile," Alice suggested with a smile that was far too innocent. "To explain things to her and just make sure she stays out of trouble. I suggest Edward."

Edward twitched in surprise, and I must have been gaping at her, but no one else questioned her suggestion. I wondered how she'd hidden this from him. It must be hard to surprise a man who can read your mind.

"Good idea," Esme confirmed, turning to smile at me. "He will be nearby but out of sight when your Dad is home and stay with you as much as possible at school."

"Everyone is going to think they're dating," Alice giggled, her eyes twinkling with amusement and delight. The look she gave Edward was positively wicked.

I couldn't look at Edward. I didn't want to look at Edward. I didn't want to see the look on his face while he thought about the best way to say that he didn't want to spend that much time with me. Even that little, not so personal, rejection was more than I wanted to deal with right then. My head dropped so that I could inspect my hands clenched in my lap,my hair slid forward to hide my face again. If I'd still been human, I'd have blushed so red that it would have looked like I had a serious, high temperature fever. I gave a little shake of my head.

"That's not really fair to Edward," I asserted once I'd found my voice again. "I'm positive that he has better things to do with his time than keep me out of trouble," I insisted.

I wasn't sure what Alice was up to, but I was very sure that I _didn't_ want Edward shadowing me. I felt off balance when he was around, and it wasn't something that I was comfortable with or used to. Besides, he had to have interests that were far more important than tailing me.

"Oh, don't be silly, Bella," Alice insisted in her melodic voice. "It would look terribly suspicious if Emmett or Jasper started following you around: everyone already knows they're taken. Edward's the only one not involved."

"It's fine," Edward finally spoke up, amusement tinged his voice. "I don't mind at all. As Alice said, someone needs to hang around and I can explain things to you. I've been around long enough that I think I can cover most things."

I blinked in surprise at that and then had to smile as I finally turned to look at him, pushing my hair out of the way. He looked the youngest, seemed to have been turned at the younger age. It made me wonder about his age in relation to the others.

"So you're an old man, then?" I couldn't help teasing him, even though some part of me was still expecting them all to rip me apart.

"Old enough to be your great-grandfather, Bella." He almost smiled at me. At least I think he did, but his answer was sober and serious.

I got the idea that he didn't want to be teased about his age, and instead, I turned back to smile at Esme. I was grateful. It had been hard to do this on my own and I couldn't afford to make any mistakes.

"Thank you. I've been coping the best way that I knew how," so long as they weren't going to kill me, I could do gracious. "I do need to get going though. I have to go to the grocery store before Charlie gets home. The man is a menace in the kitchen. Its truly frightening to see."

My vampire senses kept track of the time without the benefit of a clock and I had a feeling that I was nearing the point of my tolerance tonight. I got to my feet to indicate that I was completely serious about leaving, though part of me expected them to stop me, no matter what Esme had said.

Instead, Edward got to his feet with me and took my arm. This time in a gesture that seemed more gentlemanly than restraining. As we left the small sitting area where everyone gathered, his hand moved to the small of my back, and he guided me gently to the door. I tried to hide my surprise. This didn't seem like the same man that had insisted I was too dangerous to go to gym earlier.

"Are you up for a trip to the grocery store?" He asked me softly as we said our goodbyes and as he led me out the door. He moved gracefully down the front stairs and showed me right to my truck in a gesture that was almost courtly.

"I have done it before, successfully, if that helps," I offered. He still didn't trust my control, and from the way they reacted, he probably had reason to doubt me. I wasn't sure what other newborn vampires acted like, but from the way the Cullens reacted to me, I was sure that I didn't do the things they expected. It would figure that I was a complete anomaly.

He shook his head as he opened the passenger side door and stood back to allow me to climb into my truck. I shot him an inquiring look. He just gazed back innocently and I sighed, climbing up into the passenger seat. I didn't know him very well, but it seemed that until he could trust that I wasn't going to lose it, he was going to be terribly bossy with me.

"I know it doesn't seem like it," I grumbled softly as he climbed in on the other side and held his hand out for my keys, "but I am a big girl. I've been taking care of myself just fine for a while now."

This seemed to amuse him and he shot me a crooked smile. Involuntary functions were no longer a part of my physical make up, but my lungs didn't seem to understand that as I sucked in a sudden breath at the sight of that smile. He was breathtaking. Gone was the cold, borderline violent boy that frightened me. In that one gesture, he seemed like an entirely different person.

"Yes, but until I get used to the fact that you're not attacking people left and right, give me a little leeway. Deal?"

Edward's topaz eyes met mine and my breath caught. There was something about him that made me feel a little out of control. As hard as it was for me to have him so close, perhaps they all had a point. Maybe I did need a babysitter. But this Edward that smiled at me and led rather than restrained, I didn't mind so terribly much.


	7. Chapter 7 Accustomed to the Babysitter

**Author's Notes: This is the chapter where Edward starts shadowing Bella to make sure that she's not going to get into any trouble. Do sparks start to fly? Maybe not yet. As far as fish lasagna, is it a real dish? Can you make it? Well, I found recipes on the net, but I don't fish so do not ask me if it is any good. **

**You might try some of these sites if you like the idea. Share if you do, we're curious!**

www(dot)cooks(dot)com/rec/view/0,1917,158186-251194,00(dot)html  
hungry-kittens(dot)blogspot(dot)com/2009/01/jamies-fish-lasagna(dot)html  
www(dot)cooksrecipes(dot)com/seafood/creamy-seafood-lasagna-recipe(dot)html

**Beta: PTB betas on this chapter were mcsc2008 a****nd mdnnc/dorothy's ruby slippers. As usual, they did an awesome job and this chapter was quite the mess.**

Chapter Seven -- Accustomed to the Babysitter?

Edward took me to the grocery store and hovered closely while I attempted to bolster the meager offerings of Charlie's kitchen. I was surprised by the umber of curious looks we were receiving. I really did hate being the focus of attention, but for the most part, having Edward following me around wasn't as painful as I expected.

Today, I was shopping. My main objective at the store was obtaining fresh fruits and vegetables. Charlie's kitchen didn't offer much in the way of fresh items. His fridge was nearly entirely bare, stocked only in things that went well with pan-grilled fish. He had several lemons. It was really disturbing just how much fish Charlie ate, broken only by the dubious nutrition of pizza. Charlie loved that pizza was delivered right to his door without his having to even enter the kitchen. Still, I never understood his love for fish, even when it _was_ something that was edible.

I know I was supposed to be putting on a show. It was acceptable, possibly even desirable if the town started to think there was a budding romance. I had always been a terrible liar, though I'd gotten better at it in the last few months. It just didn't seem believable that the breathtaking Edward Cullen was smitten with me. I didn't even _try_ to put any effort into convincing onlookers that we were suddenly attached to each other. I didn't flirt, but was polite to him. I answered his questions about food and tried not to be downright rude, but that was all I could ask of myself for now.

It didn't take long, even at a human pace, to gather together what I needed. Most of the basics went a long way if you were careful about what you got and how you used them. It was just Charlie and I, and I certainly wasn't going to be forcing a whole lot of anything down my throat. I know Edward watched me the entire time, but I saw more suspicion than curiosity in his gaze. He would tense at odd times, and I noticed they corresponded with the close proximity of humans. He was silent about these moments, however, and never once grabbed me.

I let Edward drive again on the way back to Charlie's house. It seemed to be important to him and I didn't care enough to fight with him about it. I really had no idea what to do with him. Having him follow me around made me nervous and on edge, to a degree. I was still a little afraid of him, but I was noticing, when he wasn't being aggressive with me, he wasn't all that unpleasant to be around.

When arrived at Charlie's, Edward helped me unload the groceries from the truck. As we put everything down on the kitchen table, I knew my time was limited. I was going to have to move pretty quickly to get everything done before Charlie got home. I gave up the human pretense and zipped around the kitchen at vampire speed while putting away the groceries and gathering together everything for Charlie's dinner.

While I worked, Edward dropped into Charlie's favorite chair at the battered old kitchen table, watching while I started to throw things onto the stove. Lasagna, one of Charlie's favorites, wasn't too difficult to make. It took time to prepare the separate parts, since you had to boil the noodles before you could do anything else, so I did as much as I could as quickly as possible. It was also something different from Charlie's usual diet of grilled fish and pizza while still using up some of the endless supply of fish.

I had been darting about the room for several minutes before he did anything other than watch me. Edward cleared his throat and I turned curiously. From the look on his face, he had been trying to get my attention for several moments. "You really are something," he said, a perplexed look on his face.

I figured some of that had to do with the fact that my mind wasn't open to him like everyone else's. I loved that he didn't have access to my thoughts. My brain was muddled when he was around, and I didn't want him to be aware of the confusion that his presence brought out in me.

"Am I?" I turned back to the stove again, checking the fillet of trout that I had frying in the pan for the lasagna. After I'd browned both sides, I chopped it up into pieces with the spatula while I waited for him to answer my question.

"For one thing, your control is absolutely extraordinary. You had to be in extreme pain," Edward continued. "You didn't even lean toward any of the humans when we were in the grocery store."

I shrugged. It was something I couldn't deny. It was hell. There were no pretty words for it. I savored this fact: he _knew;_ he had experienced the same thing that I experienced. It was delightful. It helped, and I didn't feel so alone in the world any longer.

"Would you do me a favor?" he asked softly, and I knew he was still looking at me, though it must have seemed that I was ignoring him. On the contrary, I was _too_ aware of him.

I had been ignoring the awareness that his full attention had been completely focused on _me_. I knew that I couldn't really be that interesting to him and it wasn't likely to last. He had surprised me with his request, however. I glanced behind me as I dropped the now cooked fish into a bowl with some marinara sauce.

"I guess that depends on what it is," I didn't know him well enough to grant an open favor without knowing what it was.

"I find it quite..." he paused, and I watched him curiously, my hands working on creating the cheese layer of the meal in a big bowl without the need much of my attention, "difficult that I do not know what you are thinking. Right now, especially. Would you mind enlightening me?"

That didn't really surprise me. It must drive him crazy. I just wasn't sure how to answer him. He was doing me a favor, looking after me like this, and while I didn't like requiring a babysitter, I did appreciate it. I delayed my answer by retrieving the baking dish I needed to bake the lasagna and started to spoon out some of the fish mixture on the bottom.

My awareness returned to the book of poems that was so much in my thoughts of late. The Elizabeth Browning's words had been so much on my mind lately, resonating in my soul. As I looked at Edward, a particular passage came to me:

If thou must love me, let it be

for nought

Except for Love's sake only...

For these things in themselves

Beloved, may

Be changed, or change for thee, --

and love, so wrought,

May be unwrought so.

"What I'm thinking right now?" I confirmed, dragging my thoughts away from such maudlin things. I wasn't about to volunteer the entirety of what was going on in my mind; too much was centered on how strange I felt around him.

He only nodded in answer, knowing that I would feel the gesture even if I wasn't looking right at him.

I took a deep breath and let it out in a long, soft sigh. I delayed answering again while I layered in the hot noodles directly from the pot with my bare fingers. My stone-like skin registered the heat of the boiling pasta, but it didn't feel like pain, so I didn't take much notice of it at all. My attention was focused on the man behind me; I wished I weren't so completely aware of him.

"I'm trying to adjust to everything that's happened in the last few months, still. Right now, a part of me is absorbing how the house smells. I noticed that it's easier to resist when I am used to the scent." I covered the pan with foil and put it into the pre-heated oven. That part done, I could show him how I coped with living with a human.

I walked to where I'd placed my backpack when we walked into the house, picked it up and walked back into the kitchen. I lifted the bag onto the table and rustled around inside it, looking for something very specific. As I drew out the small object, I held it out to Edward quietly. It was a beat up old fish hook with a brightly colored plastic lure still attached. He looked at it blankly and then his expression grew more confused.

"Charlie's?" he asked, tilting his head in question. "It smells like he's pricked his finger on this a few times. It has residues of his blood.

I nodded and then sat down on the other chair as I took the lure back, careful not to touch his fingers as I did so.

"It's easier to resist if I keep the scent of him close. It's like I become acclimated to it," I explained, since he looked quite worried.

The worried look left his face and it turned back to curiosity. "Really?" He looked back up from the lure in my hands, and his eyes met mine.

I was grateful again that I could no longer blush. It felt like another moment I should be blushing. In fact, those moments happened every time his eyes met mine. I looked away quickly.

"Yes, actually. You've not noticed that?" From what he said, I figured he was old enough to have experienced this thoroughly. Compared to me, he was the epitome of the experienced vampire.

"We have never spent time with _specific_ humans," Edward explained, tilting his head as though he was irritated that I kept looking away and he wanted to see into my eyes again.

If he was annoyed by the fact that I avoided his eyes, he was going to have to get used to the idea. My mother often said that my eyes were an open book into Bella's thoughts. Considering I loved the idea he couldn't read my mind, I had no desire to make reading me any easier for him.

"You've never been around singular humans enough to get used to their scents?" I confirmed curiously as I glanced at the clock above the table in habit.

"No," Edward confirmed, smiling at me just slightly.

It was getting pretty close to the time that my father would be home and I wanted to make sure that everything was ready before he walked into the house. It reminded me that I could see again clearly. Which meant that I'd have to put in a new pair of contacts before Charlie got home.

"Bella," Edward's tone was reproachful as it broke through my internal wrangling. My attention focused back on him, my eyes meeting his. "Why are you acting like you're afraid I'm going to attack you? You have given me no reason to hurt you. Your nervousness seems excessive for Charlie's arrival," he said, his eyes showing concern.

Freaking perceptive vampire. Apparently, I was disgustingly easy to read, even when he couldn't see into my head. There were two reasons I was jumpy, and I wasn't about to share the one that was starting to become a bigger part of the truth than I wanted to admit: Edward Cullen was the most attractive man I had ever met in my life. I didn't want him babysitting me. I wanted him to want to spend time with me.

A growing part of me wanted the "romance" to be real. I wanted him to find something interesting in me, something that made him _want_ to spend time with me. While I thought that being the only exception to his mind reading did draw his interest, I didn't want that to be the only reason.

I cleared my throat, unsure if I could get him to believe the whopper that had been perfectly true earlier in the day but was becoming less so by with every moment in his company. I was a horrible liar and I couldn't look at him while I evaded the complete truth. It would be far too obvious that I was lying if he could see my face. I busied myself with hunting around in my backpack for a pair of contacts, giving me an excuse not to look at him. I had several pair I kept in there to make sure I always had some with me.

"The last vampires I met attacked and killed me," I said quietly. "I think it might just take time to get used to the idea that your family isn't as violent."

I glanced up quickly from my backpack to see how he received that information but he was looking quietly out the window over the sink. There was no revealing expression on his face that gave me a clue about what he was thinking. After a moment, he turned to look at me again and he nodded.

"All right," he admitted as his topaz eyes met mine again, "I guess time will bring trust to both of us. I'll be behind the house in the woods while your father's awake. When he goes to sleep, I'll go hunting with you and we can talk about some of the things that you need to know. You seem to be okay with your father for the short time that you're alone together. Don't hesitate to ask for help if you need it, I'll hear you."

I could hear the distinctive knock in the engine of Charlie's patrol car as it came down the street. I nodded, agreeing to Edward's suggestion as I grabbed the contact case and popped in the dark lenses that made my eyes brown again. Edward gave me an encouraging smile and slipped out the back door and disappeared into the woods.

I glanced at my reflection in the microwave and wished for my simple, normal brown again. The dark brown that the contacts made my eyes was certainly more attractive than brilliant red, but they weren't what I was used to seeing on myself. I wondered if Edward would have liked the soft brown that had been my original eye color, but I couldn't change them back now. It was useless to wish, so as usual, I tried to forget about it and just went on with the things I could accomplish.

I could hear Edward settle into the branches of a tree not far from the back yard and smiled. Not only did he make a point of moving loudly enough that I could hear him, but he really was staying pretty close. I thought it was to protect Charlie if it was needed, though I knew he wouldn't be fast enough if I lost it.

I contemplated Edward's painful seriousness. Was it because of his age, or was it just part of his personality? Hmm, I guess since he was going to be hanging out with me a lot I might just find out the answer to that.

I cleaned my backpack off the table, making sure to hide Charlie's lure again so that I would have it with me tomorrow at school. That done, I set the table, returning to human speed so Charlie wouldn't see anything unusual. As the patrol cruiser pulled into the driveway, I was throwing together a simple salad before I went over to check the lasagna.

I realized after my first night here that the evening ritual of eating dinner together was going to be a big thing for my father. I thought it was not only because of my disappearance this summer, but also because we'd never really spent any real portion of my life together. We'd never lived in the same house, not since I was really young. It was very important to me to give these things to him while I could.

If the Cullens were any indication, I was only going to really be able to be involved in my parents' lives like this for only a few years longer before I was going to have to disappear completely. They would start noticing that I didn't change and that I still looked like I did from the time I was seventeen. Changing my hairstyle and clothes would only hide my unchanging face for so long.

I tried not to think about how much the idea hurt as I stood up to check on the lasagna. Thankfully, it didn't take long to cook since everything was already done before it went in the oven. It was just blending the flavors together. My father came into the house and joined me in the kitchen as I was taking the pan out of the oven and placing it on the table. I'd barely remembered oven mitts. _That_ would have been hard to explain.

"Hey Bells," he greeted as he hung up his jacket and gun and his eyes hit the table. A smile of satisfaction spread across his features. He really liked having dinner ready as he came home.

I took a small breath and let myself feel the burn of his scent while I set out two servings. Mine was as small as I thought I could get away with. By the time I looked up at him, I was able to smile and greet my father.

"Hey Dad. How was work?"

"Pretty slow," he admitted with a smile and I had to admit, at the police station, slow was a _good_thing. "Pete and I played cards most of the day."

It made me laugh as I sat down and piled some salad onto his plate.

"How much did you make off him?" Charlie and the boys often gambled pennies when they played cards.

"Couple dollars," he admitted with a smile as he sat down across from me and immediately tackled the lasagna. "Oh wow, Bell. I didn't think you could make good lasagna with fish."

It made me laugh again.

"Dad, I have to find _something_ to do with all that fish you bring home. Lasagna will have to be the least of my creative endeavors."

I could hear Edward moving around in his perch in the tree. He must have wanted me to know that he was still there. He really seemed worried that I'd attack my dad.

Charlie looked concerned at the thought of creative cooking.

"Dad," I said in my most reassuring tone, "I'm not Mom. You won't find me mixing impossible things together."

He shrugged and then gave me a little smile. "I'd have thought that fish lasagna sounded strange, but it's really pretty good. Thanks for cooking, Bells."

His simple appreciation felt good. I felt a wave of gratitude. My father was a good person and I was lucky to have him.

"It's not a problem, Dad. I don't mind cooking." I wasn't lying; I didn't mind at all.


	8. Chapter 8 First Night

**Author's Notes: Babysitter? Edward the Babysitter. Is he going to be more of the scary guy that dragged her out of class, or does he soften up now that he can see maybe she isn't so bad?**

**Also, this story has been nominated in The Indie Twific Awards in the category: Canon or AU story that knocks you off your feet (WIP). Yay! Head to their website, theindietwificawards(dot)com. When voting opens, vote for this story. It would make my year, honestly.**

**When you leave me reviews, I love it. It may be already written, but several reviews have had me making notes about things that I can still add in later to make it even more interesting and some of them I have already written in future chapters. Tell me what you think, what you like best and things you are looking forward to reading in the future.**

**Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.**

**ProjectTeamBeta: mcsc2008 and the two unidentified betas who worked on this chapter: AWESOMESAUCE. What more can I say?**

Chapter Eight – The First Night

After dinner my dad spent the rest of the evening in front of the TV. If it wasn't baseball, it was football; if it wasn't football, it was soccer; if it wasn't soccer, it was hockey. It didn't seem to matter what the sport was; my dad enjoyed it. He favored baseball, but if it wasn't baseball season, he watched the rest with little to no reservation.

Me? Not so much. Even before the change and my new brain made homework so much easier, I'd still rather do homework than sit and watch sports. Tonight, I made an attempt to tolerate it for about thirty minutes before I couldn't anymore. I used the excuse of homework so I could get away.

Even the thought of lying to my dad over such a little thing as working on homework made me feel terrible guilt, so I did do some homework after I got up to my room. I _had_to lie about so much already that honesty in the other areas mattered so much more to me now. My homework didn't take long, so I booted up the computer to check my email. My mom was sure to have replied to my last message by now, and she wouldn't wait too long before getting antsy and calling to check on me. I figured it would be at least a month before she got distracted by something else and limited her emails to once a week. It didn't usually take so long, but she was still really sensitive about my disappearance. I forgave her a lot of fussing for that worry.

I was right, there was an email waiting from my mom. She asked about school: if I had any new friends and all about how I was getting along with my dad. I was in the middle of answering her when I heard movement in the tree out back where Edward had been waiting, and was not at all surprised when I heard the tree right outside adjust to the weight of someone climbing on it. Then, my window slid open and he climbed inside.

I gestured politely for him to sit on the rocking chair in the corner and then took a moment to finish the message to my mother. I shut down the computer after the email had been sent and turned to look at my visitor.

"Got tired of perching in the trees?" I had to ask; I'd heard him fidgeting.

"Well, your father is completely occupied. I figured it wouldn't be that big of a deal to start our talk a little earlier." He walked leisurely over to the old rocking chair and settled into it with a smile in my direction.

I shrugged, and while I didn't need to sit down, or even to move, I got up and walked over to settle down in my favorite spot on my bed. Comfort was now more of a frame of mind than a condition of the body, and I liked to lean against the wall and stretch my legs out on my bed. My books were piled comfortably next to me. There was still a stack of them there from the night before and I noticed him look at them curiously before his eyes returned to me.

He waited until I got settled and then leaned back in the rocking chair. He was still watching me with those distracting topaz eyes. I tried to appear unaffected and instead looked back at him expectantly. He didn't make me wait long.

"First, the rules," he started. I smiled at that. I was completely and utterly amused that there were rules to being a vampire, but I figured since the entire world was quite unaware we existed there had to be a reason why.

"Really, the only rule is keeping the secret," Edward revealed after a moment, almost seeming disappointed. "Everything else stems from that one factor."

"That's easy enough, and I had kind of already figured that one out," I wasn't going to let him off easy. There had to be a reason for them to insist he shadow me, and this was really weak.

He grinned, his manner loosening up slightly. I guess he was getting used to the idea that while I was likely a ticking time bomb, I didn't have a short fuse.

"True. That's another thing that's really so extraordinary about you, you seem to have been able to keep that rule instinctively." He gestured absently to the pile of books beside me. "And you can concentrate well enough to read and study."

"Not without effort, but it was worth it to me to do so," I admitted. They all seemed to think I was really something unusual, but I couldn't agree. I _was_ dangerous, and it scared me. "As for the reading, my mom kept a real close eye on me for the first month or so. She'd check on me randomly in the middle of the night. I'd run out to hunt and then had to come right back. I needed distractions; books helped provide that."

I could hear Charlie moving around downstairs again, but he was only heading into the kitchen during the commercial to get another beer and get rid of the empty bottle from his last one. We both listened to him for a moment before we started talking again.

"All right, some background and history then. Typically, vampires are a law unto themselves. Nearly all are nomads: they cannot stay long in one place because of their diet. They don't like being told what to do and they don't recognize a higher authority. The exception to this are the Volturi." He spoke a little more softly while we waited for Charlie to become absorbed in his game again.

"The Volturi?" That sounded like something entirely vampire and like something I needed to know about.

"The Volturi are a coven of three vampires and two of their mates, who live in Italy. They're the closest thing we have to a ruling class, and they police the vampire world, making sure that everyone keeps to the rule of secrecy." Edward had expected my need for more information and he explained before I had a chance to ask. "They are the only 'higher authority' that vampires recognize."

"If you'd gone wild in Arizona, and turned the city into your own personal killing field, the Volturi would eventually have hunted you and brought you to justice. Afterward, they'd have gone after your maker for not ensuring that you kept to the rules," Edward didn't temper this information much, though I could see he wanted to.

I winced. I wasn't mislead by the innocuous-sounding idea of justice: they'd have killed me. Though the idea of them going after the one who'd made me like this sounded quite attractive. Some part of me was delighted at even the hypothetical thought of being the direct cause of his death.

"Three vampires keep the peace over the entire world. I imagine they aren't home much." I tried to smooth over my sudden vindictiveness with something far more innocent.

"They are millennia old and they don't leave Volterra often. They send out their guard. They recruit vampires they see as of worth to them and give them a place in their personal guard," Edward continued.

That made more sense to me. They had an army of vampires that was dangerous enough to keep the rest of the vampire-world running scared. This was not a group of people I wanted to be aware of my existence.

"Carlisle spent some time with them, some centuries back. He made friends with the three leaders and they asked him to become a part of their guard. I think they saw him as a curiosity more than anything else." Edward started to rock slightly in the chair, though it made no sound at his movement.

This last admission surprised me. It wasn't what he told me, but why he told me. He thought I would want to know. I had no idea how I knew that he was trying to share parts of their lives with me, but there was no doubt in my mind. I smiled at him in thanks. He was right; I did want to know these more personal things. They made the Cullens seem more like people instead of the merciless killers I thought all vampires would be.

His breath caught as I smiled at him and I looked down, pulling one of my books into my hands. I wasn't sure what had caused that reaction, so it made me nervous. I looked at the book I'd grabbed and smiled a little. It had been in my mind a lot lately, so I wasn't terribly surprised: _Sonnets from the Portuguese_. I ran my hands over the little hardback cover.

"So, why did he leave?" I wondered aloud as my finger traced the embossed words on the front of the book.

"He could not condone their way of life. They are not vegetarians as we are, refusing to feed on human blood. It was too hard for him to suffer witness to the destruction of human life," Edward easily explained. "There really aren't very many of us that refuse to feed on humans. I know only of two families: ourselves and a coven in Denali that we see as cousins."

From what I'd noticed of Carlisle, that seemed so appropriate. To me, he was the embodiment of compassion and mercy -- a leader so extraordinary that others wanted to follow him into a hard life of restraint and benevolence.

"How does he do it?" I wondered aloud, my eyes lured to Edward's face again. I remembered Esme me earlier, when she was explaining Carlisle's absence, that he was a doctor. "How does he work at the hospital like he does?"

I'd known he was a doctor; it was part of the gossip Jessica had imparted to me in the school cafeteria. It was all the more remarkable now that I knew he was a vampire. It took a level of control that was almost incomprehensible to me.

"Practice. After all this time, I don't think he even notices the thirst anymore. It took him a long time -- centuries, actually. Just like you, the goal was more important to him than the pain that it caused him." Edward was looking at me, watching me, while he spoke. Again, his expression revealed nothing personal of what he was thinking or feeling.

"Ah," I acknowledged that I understood what he meant. "For me, it was more important that I didn't hurt my family. More important than satisfying my thirst for their blood." It didn't need to be said, but I did it anyway to cover that I didn't know how to react to the way he was watching me.

Charlie started moving around downstairs again and my room grew silent as we both listened to him. He turned off the TV and after a moment started up the stairs.

"He'll check in on me before he goes to bed," I looked up to ward Edward, but he was already sliding into the closet before the words left my lips.

By the time Charlie opened the door, my book was open like I'd been reading. I smiled at Charlie in greeting, swallowing against the increase of venom in my mouth, and ignoring the burn in my throat. The closer to late night, when I could hunt again; the worse it got.

"Gonna be shutting down soon, Bells? It's getting pretty late," Charlie observed as he nodded at my book.

"Yeah, I'll get to bed soon, Dad," another lie, but I was sure he wouldn't have understood if I informed him that not only didn't I need to sleep anymore but that I physically couldn't.

"Okay, uh, night, then. Have a good day at school tomorrow." Without anymore fuss, he closed my door and wandered off to bed.

After Charlie left, I looked back over at the closet and Edward was sliding back out silently. I had to hold back a giggle at how it would have seemed to anyone else. I'd never had a male other than my father or Phil in my room before, and it seemed kind of strange to have one hiding in my closet, even though the circumstances were completely innocent.

"He loves you very much," Edward observed as he sank back into the rocking chair with inhuman grace. His voice was even softer now, though I had no trouble hearing him.

"I know. All of this has been really hard on him. He was delighted when I told him I wanted to move here." I loved my father. The way he was so accepting, taking me unquestioningly into his house and his life. It made me appreciate him so much more than I ever had.

Never once in my life did I question the knowledge that my father was a good man. Everyone has their faults, their weaknesses, but underneath all of that, some people were just downright good. My father was one of those people.

"I have been very lucky in my parents. Even Phil, he's a good guy," a slight smile tipped at the corners of my mouth. It was getting easier to relax around Edward since he'd stopped being scary and intimidating. I hoped that this easy way would continue.

"Phil? He's your mother's husband?" Edward questioned.

I shouldn't have been surprised that he wanted to know more about me. I had told his family about my change, but the things that made up my human life -- who I was -- they knew nothing about. This information, he would normally just pull from the minds of other people. , It reminded me again, he could not do this with _me_.

"Yeah, she got married about a year ago. They're still newlyweds." I didn't mind sharing this personal information with him; it didn't reveal anything about me that I wouldn't have shared with anyone else, really. "They're adorable about it too. He's a minor league baseball player and she had such a hard time when he went traveling. She wanted to go with him but felt it was more important to stay with me. Now, she can go with him."

This was a side effect of my move that made me very happy. My mother loved being with Phil, and now my presence wouldn't hold her back from being able to be with her new husband, wherever his team sends him.

A second later, I heard snoring and I giggled softly. Charlie had finally fallen asleep. I jumped to my feet, dropping my current favorite book on top of the others as I moved to the window.

"Thank heaven. I thought he'd never go to sleep," I climbed over the window frame with a grace I was still getting used to. Edward got up from the rocking chair to follow me out, closing the window behind him.

"Getting difficult, is it?" Edward asked curiously as he turned back to look at me and I shrugged.

"It's certainly easier after I've hunted," I admitted wryly and looked around to see if anyone was watching before I jumped off the roof of the house. It would not be good to have anyone witness me exhibit such unusual behavior and not even get injured.

Edward was right behind me as I walked over to where the trees were close together and then took off at a run into the forest. He was fast, keeping up with me easily, though I wasn't in any special hurry -- other than the fact that I always burned with thirst.

I sped up -- not that I wanted to race him, beat him or get away from him; I was just reveling in the parts of this life that I enjoyed. I loved to feel the wind in my hair as I was able to consume miles with an inhuman stride. I loved the fact that I no longer stumbled, tripped or fell on my face.

As we moved farther and farther into the wilderness, I laughed in delight, leaping over drops in the terrain and skirting around trees as I headed into the Olympic Mountains and turned roughly east toward Seattle. It would take us some time of running this fast to reach the city, but I wasn't going to go so far. I just wanted to be away from populated areas.

When in Phoenix, I'd done the same thing, heading out into the desert before I started hunting. I'd noticed when I killed that first den of coyotes that it was impossible for me to control what I hunted after I allowed my to let go. I didn't want to take any chances with anyone's life.

Edward had no trouble keeping up with me at all, matching his stride to mine easily. He was openly amused by my delight in the run. "I take it this part of the new life hasn't been painful for you at all," he commented as we ran.

"Oh, this is the best part. I was a complete klutz. I tripped over things that were there but also things that were not. No coordination at all," I didn't like to admit this, but it was surely something he would figure out before long if he hadn't already.

I tried to duplicate my human self as much as possible when out among humans, and the clumsiness was a big part of that. I held up my hands, turning them at the wrist and gesturing to where there had been little lines of scars on the palms of my hands. My scars were gone now, lost in the burning of the change.

"I fell a lot," I muttered, explaining the look I gave my hands and the scars that he could not see. I couldn't hold in my smile. This was something I didn't worry about anymore, being so clumsy I was almost disabled. "I try to keep up the illusion that I'm still a klutz. I'm glad my parents aren't suspicious about the fact that I haven't broken any bones lately."

Edward laughed at what must seem so silly, not knowing how serious I was. I sighed silently to myself at the sound of his laugh. I could easily get used to that sound. I wasn't in the habit of lying to myself, so I had to admit that Edward Cullen being around just felt more and more right to me.

It really wasn't long before we were far enough into the wilderness that I felt comfortable letting go of my carefully maintained control, and I stopped quite suddenly near a quietly moving stream. Edward came to a stop nearby, though he didn't interfere. He was back to acting cautious as my stance became more predatory. I'd scented something that caught my interest and I knew he wouldn't interfere so long as what I hunted wasn't human.

I took off again, intercepting a large moose as it came to drink at the stream. Within a moment, I had taken the large animal to the ground, holding it into place while I bit into its neck tilting the body so the blood flowed freely into my mouth. Nothing else occupied my mind or my attention while I fed. When the moose had been drained completely and lay dead, I lifted my head, almost surprised to see Edward standing beside a nearby tree watching me.

I lifted my hand up to make sure that I didn't have blood all over my face and was a bit embarrassed to find that I had fed messily enough that there was some streaked across my cheek. Again, one of those moments I would have blushed bright red if I could. Then again, if I could blush still, I'd hardly have been in this particular situation. At least it wasn't as bad as in Phoenix. I'd always come back covered in so much blood I'd have to get rid of my clothes. After only a time or two of this, I had gone to the thrift store and purchased myself a cheap "hunting outfit" to preserve my savings as much as possible.

"I guess I'm a sloppy eater," I reached up again to rub at my face, letting my hair fall into my face to hide it as I did so.

A moment later, I felt his fingers on my chin. He lifted my face to brush off a spot I'd missed and I looked up at him in surprise. At his touch, I felt that same tingle move through me as it did before, and I blinked up into his face in stunned astonishment. I couldn't let people touch me anymore, even my parents if I could help it, so this contact felt amazingly good. For a moment, I thought he touched me because he wanted to, and thought his fingers might have lingered on ridge of my cheekbone. It felt like it had been forever since I had been able to allow anyone to touch me freely; I nearly moaned with loss when he withdrew his hand.

"Not so sloppy as all that. When Emmett goes hunting, he often ends up covered in blood from head to foot. Of course, he specifically goes after bears and he does like to play with his food," Edward explained with a smile as his hand dropped back to his side.

I looked away quickly, embarrassed again. He was only trying to make me feel better and I was reading so much more into it. It was wrong of me to make something more out of simple courtesy.

"Well, should we head back then? I find that if I hunt bigger game daily I do not have to drink so much," I spun around, a blur of movement to any but vampire eyes and turned westward, leaping into the trees.

I admit part of me was running from my own feelings. I didn't want to think about how very silly and young I really felt around him. He kept pace with me again as we ran, but I was quiet this time. There were still things I needed to know about, and things I wanted to know about, but I was too embarrassed at the moment to bring up any of it.

"Bella," Edward said when we were nearly back to Charlie's house. His tone was hesitant, curious, and it made me turn my head to look at him in question. "Is anything wrong?"

He never said anything I expected. I didn't answer at first, and I didn't slow down, headed for the uncertain sanctuary that was Charlie's house.

"No, nothing's wrong," I lied, making sure that I was looking straight ahead as I did so. He made me truly wish to be a better liar for the first time in my life.

"Bella," Edward's tone was admonishing as he slowed. His hand touched my arm, and his fingers wrapped around my skin as he gently tugged on me until we both came to a stop. "You know, I've been watching you all day, and while I can't read your mind, I think I'm getting better at reading _you_. You really are a terrible liar."

He smiled at me to gentle his words and to encourage me to answer. Again, I felt that peculiar sensation down my spine whenever he touched me. It made me want things that I had no business wanting. Things like holding his hand as we ran together, touching his lips when he gave me that crooked smile, pressing my lips to his.

"I just don't like being away from Charlie for long. What if he wakes and notices that I'm gone? He'll start freaking out again," I tried to explain. It too was a lie, though not as much of one -- I did worry about those things.

He sighed and then reached for my hand, wrapping his fingers around mine. I knew from the way my mother had reacted that my skin was cold to humans, but to me, he felt warm, as I would feel to him. He drew my hand up as his fingers threaded through mine and brought my fingers up to his lips. I could only stare at him as his lips brushed the back of my knuckles.

"Bella, I'm going to go out on a limb here, but I think that something else is going on," Edward said, his lips still caressing the back of my fingers.

The touch of his mouth moving against my skin made me shiver -- a visceral reaction that I could not hide. That touch took me a step away from rational Bella and one step closer to the instinctual animal I became when I was hunting. I could only stare at him, unable to answer.

His lips brushed the back of my fingers again and he watched me, his expression rapt as he observed the reactions I could not hide.

"I think you're experiencing the same thing that I am," he continued, his voice soft as velvet.

It drew me in and dazzled me. My thinking mind was no longer in control, and I was totally absorbed by him and his touch on my hand, unable to look away from his eyes. He was silent for a moment. His fingers repositioned to clasp my hand, and at the loss of his lips directly on my skin, I was able to think again.

"The same thing?" I questioned, not sure what he meant.

"Yes," Edward nodded, reaching up with his free hand to caress the back of my fingers where his lips had touched.

"You fascinate me," he admitted, and I thought perhaps it was a grudging admission.

That startled me out of the daze he'd created, and I stared at him in shock.

"Me?" I squeaked out, surprised to the depth of my being. "There is nothing about me that is fascinating," I insisted as my eyes absorbed the look of him. Compared to him, I was the complete opposite of anything interesting. I was downright dull, even as a vampire: plain brown hair, scary red eyes, dangerous, and unpredictable.

"You," he confirmed, not letting go of my hand as I tugged on it. "I find you quite beguiling. Besides everything else about you that draws me, there is this..." his lips touched the back of my fingers again, and again -- I shivered, "this electricity I feel when we touch."

I couldn't think when he was touching me. This conversation required my full concentration if I wasn't going to spout out something that would embarrass me until the end of time. After a second tug, he released my hand, though reluctantly, and it fell back to my side.

"There isn't anything beguiling, interesting, or even totally unusual about me. Even as a vampire, I'm dreadfully boring. I go to school, I come home and take care of my dad, I do my homework, and then I putter around my room reading until it's time to go back to school again," I insisted. I was sure the more he knew me, the less interesting I would become, especially over time. I ignored that he felt the same tingle I did; I couldn't handle that right now. It was too much.

He looked back at me in surprise and then started to chuckle softly to himself.

"Quite the opposite," Edward insisted, just his voice alone was enough to dazzle me, and I had to struggle not to succumb to its effect on me. "I find you endlessly appealing. You are so strong, Bella. It's not just that you are succeeding at something none of us thought was even possible, but you really don't see how utterly unique you are in so many other ways."

"I'm just me," I insisted, trying to combat the confusion that his words created.

"No, Bella, I am discovering that you are not _just_ anything." He looked like he wanted to reach for my hand again and I took a step back from him.

He was being direct, perhaps honest, but I had no idea how to respond to it. He was right; he did affect me. Still, it was just this afternoon that he all but dragged me out of biology to an awkward confrontation in the parking lot and then an even more awkward and uncomfortable meeting with his family where I had to disclose some of my deepest and most uncomfortable secrets. It seemed terribly fast for his opinion of me to change. Could you really go from hate to affection in the space of a single day?

Immediately, he backed off, letting me have my space. He was no longer pressing me to accept what he was trying to say. Instead, he gave me another one of his crooked smiles, this one apologetic.

"Let's get you home," he finally said as he took several steps toward our destination. "I'll leave you there while I run home. I need to change before school tomorrow."

I took several steps in the same direction and then started running again.

"You're going to leave me alone?" I was surprised enough to question him.

"You haven't shown any of the usual markers for loss of control even when you were hunting. I think you'll be just fine until school starts. We'll meet you in the parking lot before first period," he assured me, his tone now confident that I'd be all right without him.

I wasn't so sure, but not for the same reasons he'd given. "All right," I agreed, though I am sure my tone revealed my shock and surprise.

"Besides, Alice called when you were with your dad. She told me that I was fussing too much. She's absolutely confident in you, you know," his tone was amused. "I still think I'll keep you company."

That downright shocked me, and I came to a surprised stop on Charlie's back lawn. We were back, and I was staring at him in surprise again.

"I thought that was the whole reason you were babysitting me. Alice wasn't sure I wouldn't lose it." I was stunned. If Alice was sure of me, why did I need a constant companion? Not that I objected to Edward, honestly. But Alice was the one who suggested that Edward shadow me!

He shrugged, shaking his head slightly. "Bella, Alice sees the future based upon the decisions that people make. A sudden change of mind changes that future. It doesn't hurt to be sure. You don't want to slip up on Charlie or on someone at school. Its better to be safe."

That mollified me slightly. I didn't want to think that Charlie was in such desperate danger from me. I knew I was a monster now, and he was right that it didn't hurt to be safe. I nodded in understanding and then walked over to the tree that sat just outside my bedroom window. I could jump directly onto the roof, but in case I was overseen, scaling a tree was much less suspicious. He stopped me with a hand on my arm before I could grab onto the tree and I glanced at him in question.

He offered me a cell phone, a small silver rectangle that reminded me of his car -- sleek and modern. It was sitting on the palm of his hand.

"In case you need one of us. I thought it might help you feel more confident if you could reach us at a moment's notice," he explained.

It seemed strange to me that they kept around activated phones with unique numbers. My look must have communicated something to Edward because he shrugged. "Alice." As if this should explain everything? Hmm, perhaps it did.

I wanted to refuse. Not because he wasn't right, he was. But it was so hard for me to accept this. A phone was an expensive thing and having his family at my beck and call was so intrusive. They can't really want be available to me all the time, especially Rosalie. I think she hated me. He seemed to realize my hesitation and then reached for my hand again, lifting it up so that he could drop the phone into my palm.

"Bella, I really think you'll be fine, but it doesn't hurt to have a lifeline, and honestly, Alice needs a way to get in contact with you quickly," Edward's tone was reassuring, and the smooth tone of it dazzled me again. "We all have to be ready for her to call when she has a vision."

He knew just what to say to make me accept the idea even if I was uncomfortable with it. If it was for me, it was too much. If it was for Alice and the safety of my family and theirs, it wasn't too much to ask. I would take the phone and be available if they needed me. I just nodded and curled my fingers around it and then pulled my hand from his and edged the phone into my pocket.

"I'll see you at school. Don't hesitate to call if you need me before then. My phone is number one on the speed dial." He took several steps back as I scaled the tree and slid open my window.

"Bella," he said softly from the ground. I heard him easily and turned back to see what he wanted before I climbed into my window.

"Everything will be all right," he said after the briefest hesitation, and I nodded to him before I climbed into my room.

As I turned to close the window, my eyes were irresistibly drawn to where he had been standing on the grass below. He was already gone.


	9. Chapter 9 Center of Attention

**Author's Notes: Back to school. That can't be good. Jessica Stanley jealous and hostile. Mike Newton not so willing to give up on the new girl, especially since he doesn't want to lose out to Edward Cullen. Alice is up to her old tricks and Rosalie -- does she hate everyone, or just Bella?**

**Also, this story has been nominated in The Indie Twific Awards in the category: Canon or AU story that knocks you off your feet (WIP). Yay! Head to their website, theindietwificawards(dot)com. Voting opens Feb 20, 2010. Go vote for this story. It would make my year, honestly.**

**When you leave me reviews, I love it. It may be already written, but several reviews have had me making notes about things that I can still add in later to make it even more interesting and some of them I have already written in future chapters. Tell me what you think, what you like best and things you are looking forward to reading in the future.**

**Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.**

**ProjectTeamBeta: mcsc2008 and mdnnc/Dorthy's Ruby Slippers.**

Chapter Nine – Center of Attention

I'd taken the time after Edward's departure to take care of some of the human things that I still needed to do on a regular basis: shower, brush my teeth and wash my face. Afterward, I'd curl up on my bed with a book.

Charlie liked to check in on me in the mornings before he left, so I always cleaned up and put on pajamas when I got home from hunting. I liked the human habit of showering even though I didn't produce any body odors or oils. Plus sometimes my feeding was messier than other times and I _needed_ to wash off the blood. Charlie always amazed me at times like this. How did he not notice that I was faking sleep? I was a terrible actor. My eyes were closed and my body was still, but I didn't feel as though I looked like I was really sleeping.

I figured it was something like Renee checking on me constantly before I moved here. I think she expected me to be gone every time she looked. It would probably stop after a few months. They were both still experiencing such stress from my disappearance; it made me feel guilty. It wasn't my fault, but I'd let them think it was, and they were worried I'd do it again.

As it started to get close to the time I'd need to head off for school, I gathered up my homework. I'd left it on my desk the night before. Charlie liked to see evidence of my being a studious and responsible teenager.

I had my head in my closet to figure out what to wear today when I heard someone moving around in the yard and then scale the tree to knock at my window and turned my head to see who it was. I was surprised to see Alice, and walked over to open the window for her politely. She climbed in with one of her effervescent smiles and handed me a fairly large gift box. It was wrapped in brightly colored paper and topped with a bow so complicated it made my eyes cross.

"I saw that you didn't have anything decent to wear to school today, Bella," she explained as she handed me the box. "Really, your wardrobe is frighteningly bare."

I took the box, setting it on the bed as I opened it and glanced inside. I shot her a surprised look, not really sure why she was bringing me clothes.

"I have clothes, Alice. I didn't have room in my suitcase for a lot, but I do have jeans and t-shirts," I started in confusion.

"That's _all_ you have, Bella. I understand that there are times when it is the most appropriate attire, but it's not all the time," she grinned at me mischievously and then hopped back up into the window frame. "I wanted to bring you a skirt, but I saw that you weren't going to wear one yet," she trailed off, eyes unfocusing for a moment, then she turned and smiled at me again. "So stubborn."

"Alice?" I said, stopping her as she leaned forward to slide into the tree.

She turned back to answer me, a reluctant look on her face and climbed back inside after a moment's pause.

"Go ahead and ask me, Bella. I was hoping you wouldn't, but you've got your mind made up."

"You knew about me months ago. Why?" I asked her, sitting down on my bed beside the box she had brought.

"Why didn't I tell anyone what I saw?" she confirmed as she walked over to sit next to me on the other side. "Bella, sometimes, things have to happen in a certain way for them to work out in the best way. There are times when foreknowledge isn't _always_ a good thing. But also, my visions don't always work the way it might seem to you. There are times I can think about what I want to see and I am able to get glimpses or even whole spans of time that I am seeking to know about. But there are also times when things just hit me. I am not always sure why I see them or how they affect us. At least, at first I don't know why."

She looked up at me with a smile, reaching over to pat my hand where it sat on my leg. "I had no idea what my initial visions of you would bring, but I had a feeling that certain members of my family would rush down there and try to prevent your change. I wasn't sure why, but I felt that would be a bad idea."

I really tried to understand as I realized what she said. Alice had known about my attack in enough time to prevent it. I didn't have to be this way. For several long seconds, anger rose in me, filling my vision with a haze of crimson. I took several deep breaths, for once, letting the burn of my thirst overtake my emotions. I felt the pain in my throat for far longer than I was usually comfortable before pushing it back down again, and I turned to look at Alice.

"Do you know why now?" I asked once I could speak rationally again. Her eyes were full of understanding and sympathy as she looked back at me and she took my hand in hers.

"I do, Bella. It's not something I can tell you, though. I know it's hard, but please, trust me?" Her eyes pleaded with me to understand what she was trying to say to me.

"So, what you're saying is: if you tell me, it will disrupt whatever future you're trying to arrange?" I asked, wanting her to confirm where my thoughts led me.

She nodded, brushing her fingers along the back of my hand soothingly.

"How can we be sure your visions are right, Alice? That the course you see now is really the most advantageous one?" I let my eyes focus in on her face again. "And how do I know that the visions that are best for your family, are also the best for _me_?"

"Oh, Bella," she said, pulling me into a one-armed, sideways hug. "They are the same thing. Don't worry so much about it. I promise. Don't fight so hard and everything will eventually be just fine."

I took in a deep, bracing breath and leaned into her embrace slightly. It felt good -- this contact -- and wasn't nearly as disturbing and distracting as when Edward touched me. Alice's hug was comforting. It helped me subdue the beast in my head just a little longer.

"Alice, I hope you're right. I'm not sure how much more I can take. It's too much all at once."

She smiled at me as she kissed me on the cheek and then rose from the bed and walked over to the window. "I'm always right, Bella," her smile grew mischievous as she climbed out of the window backward. "But I promise it will get easier. You're not on your own any longer. These things are easier to handle when you share it with family. You'll get used to relying on us a bit more. Just wait."

With that last departing shot, she jumped out the window and was gone. I wasn't sure what to think about what she'd told me, but it was obvious she hoped that I would leave it alone. She still hadn't revealed anything to me, but I had new insight into her reasoning. It would have to do for now.

I only waited a moment before I got up and walked over to close the window. I pulled the curtains since I was going to be getting changed. Once they were closed, I walked back over to the bed and peered into the box. Black jeans, low rise with slightly-flared ankles (these were not bell-bottoms) and a snug royal blue sweater with a v-neck and long sleeves. The last thing in the box was a pair of low heeled espadrilles in a neutral black.

As much as Alice was being bossy about my attire, she did take into account that I stumbled around a lot at school and that I wasn't going to go to the trouble of coordinating my shoes with every outfit. Black meant that I might wear them again.

Even though I wasn't sure yet if I trusted her, I appreciated her consideration and I quickly got dressed. I took a moment after I was ready to walk around my room in the new shoes with a smile. I'd never dared wear anything with a heel this high while I was human; it was a hazard to life and limb. I had to admit, the outfit made me feel almost pretty.

I stopped in the bathroom on my way down the stairs and peered into the mirror. Normally, I'd have pulled my hair back into a pony-tail, but as I looked at myself in the mirror, I had to admit that it wouldn't look as good with what I was wearing. I brushed quickly through my hair and slid a clip into one side in a way that left most of it down, and then I made my way out of the house.

Within a few moments, I was wrapped in my parka and out the door to my truck. I wasn't fond of the cold weather parka. It was huge, uncomfortable and shapeless. It made me feel like that kid from the Christmas movie that was so bundled up he could only waddle. Tip me over and I'd roll down the street like a big round snowball. Well, perhaps not that bad. Still, it would seem odd if I didn't wear something to keep the cold Washington weather off what was supposed to be my frail human body; humans got cold.

My truck took longer to get to school than it would have for me to run, but it was part of the human charade. Also, it was a gift from my father, so I enjoyed the ride to school even though it thundered down the street.

Edward's Volvo was already in the parking lot by the time I arrived. The entire family was there waiting for me, different levels of interest on each face. Rosalie looked like she would rather be pulling her fingernails out with a pair of pliers. I wondered if she hated just me or if everyone inspired disgust in her. Jasper looked worried. Emmett looked amused. Alice was staring off into space, a smile of pure satisfaction on her face. Edward's expression, however, was carefully neutral, and I didn't know him well enough to know what that meant.

I hopped out of my truck, slinging my backpack over my shoulder, and walked over to greet them with a slight smile. "Hey, Alice, thanks for the clothes," I said as I got close enough that it wouldn't seem strange for me to be talking to them as softly as I was, not wanting to draw any more attention to myself than necessary.

My comment caused Edward's eyes to return to me. His eyes darted over my jeans and shoes before moving up to my face. He couldn't see my sweater because I was bundled up in the abominable parka monster, being devoured by goose down in my attempt to look cold like the human students did. I noticed again that the Cullens didn't try as hard as I did to appear human or they weren't any good at it. They stood out.

"You're very welcome, Bella. You look good," Alice commented, focusing on my feet for a moment longer. "You'll have to work on being less of a klutz so I can put you in prettier shoes."

That surprised me and I blinked at her several times before I could answer.

"You can't dress me every day, Alice," I insisted, shaking my head at her. "Besides, if I act less klutzy, it will make Charlie suspicious."

"I can't?" She seemed utterly perplexed by my statement, and Emmett laughed in a booming tone that drew the attention of everyone in the parking lot.

"For one thing, clothes are expensive, Alice. And for another thing, I do have clothes of my own to wear," I adjusted the strap of my backpack across my shoulder as though it were growing heavy, a habit from when I'd been human that I made a point to continue.

"Your closet is practically empty, Bella. Isn't it Edward?" It shouldn't have surprised me that Alice had seen Edward duck into my closet to hide from my father. I shook my head at her in exasperation and some embarrassment.

"I wasn't paying attention to her wardrobe when I was in the closet, Alice," Edward informed her in an undertone too soft for humans to hear though there was the hint of a smile about his lips.

"What _were_ you doing in her closet, Edward?" Emmett leaned forward to ask, his eyes twinkling with amusement. I decided right then that Emmett was a troublemaker. "Do you make it a habit of hiding out in pretty girls' rooms?"

Edward just rolled his eyes at Emmett and ignored the comment as he stepped toward me. Rosalie smirked irritably and then grabbed Emmett's hand to drag him off. I wasn't surprised that she didn't think I deserved even the most icy greeting. I cast a glance toward Jasper who was standing protectively over Alice and watching me with suspicion in his eyes. He looked like I bothered him a great deal.

"Well, I think I'll just head on to class," I explained, taking a step back and turning to head toward the building that held the English classes.

"Let me walk you to class, Bella," Edward said, taking another step toward me and falling into step beside me as easily as he had last night on our run.

I should have expected this since this was part of the plan, but I was still surprised at the eagerness in his voice. He seemed to want to walk me to class. I just nodded at the rest of his family and then led the way across campus. We were nearly out of the parking lot before he spoke again.

"I'm sorry about Alice and her obsession with clothes," he said softly, though his tone was amused. "She dresses all of us, you know. But she is right, you do look very good."

I was ready for his voice to move over my skin like velvet, but it still startled me how good it felt, how much I liked to listen to him.

We reached the curb, and while I admit I was distracted by him, I had also created the habit of stumbling over things such as this. It was an innocent, unassuming curb, and I deliberately tripped over it. What I wasn't expecting was that he would reach out to catch me.

Even when I was human, no one had ever reached out to steady me when I fell or tripped. I looked up in surprise when his hands wrapped around my waist and he lifted me easily to place me on the sidewalk.

Then, he smiled at me -- that dazzling, crooked smile that made me forget my name -- and his hands slowly dropped back to his sides.

"Easy there," he teased me softly, his velvet voice filled with amusement. "You might fall and hurt yourself."

I started to laugh. He didn't even have to try and he charmed me. When he tried, I felt like melting into a puddle of goo at his feet. He was trying to make me laugh. I hadn't laughed, hadn't really enjoyed anyone's company, in so very long. It felt good.

He smiled again, apparently enjoying my laughter. I didn't move to continue on to class immediately, so he reached out and threaded his fingers through mine, pulling me along. I knew it was getting close to the time that class was about to start so I let him guide me to the door of my first class without comment.

When we reached my classroom, he drew my hand up to his lips as he had the night before and brushed them over the back of my fingers, eyes watching me as he did so. He smiled as I shivered. Once more, I was unable to hide my reaction. When he let go of my hand, I could only stand there and stare at him. I had a feeling he knew exactly what he did to me, and he was doing it on purpose.

"I'll meet you right back here after class, Bella," he offered as he took a step back, smiling at the look on my face.

That unfroze me, and I cleared my throat, nodding in acceptance before I turned and entered the classroom. Leaving my parka on one of the hooks near the door, I made my way into my seat and looked up to nearly the entire population of my English class staring at me in shock.

Mike Newton dropped into the seat beside me as he had the day before, and his lips were twisted into a petulant smirk that irritated me.

"So, Edward Cullen, huh?" he said sourly as he looked at me.

I dropped my head, appearing to concentrate on pulling a book out of my backpack. I didn't foresee that Edward walking me to class would make me the center point of all the speculation and gossip in the entire school, but it appeared this was just what had happened. Really, if I had been honest with myself, I should have expected it.

"He walked me to class; that's all, Mike," I said in what I hoped was a dismissive tone. Even if the plan was to make it appear as though we were dating, it was far too soon to appear very serious, and honestly, how could any of them believe that Edward Cullen was so quickly enamored of me? I was just me.

I'd never had a boyfriend, but I had witnessed high school relationships develop time after time. A day was _certainly_ not enough time for more than an desire to know more about a person, even with horny young teenagers. At least, I hoped that it wasn't. It took longer than that for me. Now, it is possible that the speculation could be that Edward was just amorous and I was available.

I blinked as a sudden thought occurred to me. If we were frozen as vampires in the physical and mental states we were in when we were changed, did that mean that we were left with the same hormonal drives? Was I destined to be a horny teenager forever? My reaction to Edward did not offer me any reassurance to the contrary.

Mike didn't look happy that Edward was showing me attention and I had no idea what his problem was. I had not encouraged him. Even if Alice didn't have a plan to make it appear as though Edward and I were dating, I would never have been interested in Mike Newton. He was human! I was a vampire! Besides, there was that irritatingly cocky attitude any girlfriend of his would have to deal with. I knew that a good part of my rampant desire to smack him was that newborn nature the Cullens were so worried about, so I worked even harder at suppressing the urge.

If Mike knew what I was, he'd run away screaming. Honestly, I was surprised that all people didn't run away screaming as soon as they caught sight of me, but I figured that the human mind ignored many things so that it didn't have to deal with some of the more uncomfortable facts of life.

Just then, the teacher called the class together and began the lesson. My mind was able to process to much more that even while I listened to the teacher and took notes, I also considered how I would deal with Mike if he continued acting like this. I appreciated his friendship, but was not ever going to be interested in anything more. I was aware that eventually, the fake romance between Edward and me was going to end, and I really didn't want Mike getting the idea that he could then make a move on me.

Mike was human, and I was not. I couldn't imagine dating a human; what if he wanted to kiss me? I didn't know if my control could handle the stress of having my razor sharp teeth so close to soft, breakable skin. Where there was delicate skin, came the blood running under it. It pumped through their veins in distracting repetition. I was too likely to kill the human whose lips had touched mine. I had discovered the night before that when I thought about things -- like kissing Edward -- I faded far enough into a more instinctual place where I had no business ever being so close to a human.

It wasn't the time for me to take on Mike and his expectations, though. The bell rang and the class started to disperse. Mike hadn't made any interest in me blatantly obvious and it would only make me feel silly if I were misinterpreting him. I had a feeling the time would come and worried about how I would react. The vampire side of me wanted to take advantage of his interest and lure him into the woods. I knew, if I let that part of me take control, Mike would never leave those woods alive.

Even though Edward had promised to be there outside to walk me to my next class, I was still surprised to see him there. I tried to hide my smile as I pulled my parka over my sweater, and I saw him notice the part of my outfit he'd missed earlier. His eyes moved over me with what I thought might be appreciation, but I was fairly sure I had to be reading him wrong. I flung my backpack over my shoulder and walked over to join him.

"Bella," he greeted in his warm voice, and again, he surprised me by taking my hand. "Where are we headed next?"

I didn't pull away as his fingers curled around mine and drew me closer to him. My breath stuttered slightly. Although, I didn't need to breathe to live, my body still continued the habit and just his touch on my hand interfered with that.

"Government," I said quickly, trying to gloss over the reaction that I was having to his touch.

He didn't comment, just tugged on my hand, and drew me into walking beside him. He had a funny smile on his face as we turned to go. He looked over to observe Mike Newton standing outside the classroom watching us. I thought the look on his face grew slightly smug before he turned back to me and led me into the main building and down the hallway.

"You look quite good in blue," he said after a quiet moment, his eyes watching me as we walked. He was so good at saying things that would have made me blush before. Even though my face didn't flush with warm blood, I still looked down at my feet nervously and shrugged.

"Alice," I explained again even though he knew who had dressed me. "This really isn't my usual."

The breaks between classes weren't very long, and at a human pace, it took us nearly all of the allotted time to get to the US Government classroom.

"It looks very good on you," he confirmed.

"Thank you?" my response was a question.

I didn't know how else to respond. I wasn't used to people complimenting me, especially breathtakingly handsome young men who made even my vampire mind lose its train of thought. Edward Cullen was downright lethal to women, and I didn't mean in the deadly way a vampire was normally lethal. I couldn't read minds like he did, but I knew that nearly the entire female population of the school within sight was glaring at me -- some in envy, others in hatred.

He laughed at my response, drawing toward us the few remaining eyes that weren't already focused on our interaction. I was hyperaware of being the center of attention again, and it made me very uncomfortable. I shifted my weight on my feet, another human gesture meant to distract people from the fact that I didn't need to move, but this time it was a nervous gesture.

Edward was gaining far too much amusement from my reactions -- not only to him but to all the people staring at me -- and I glared at him pointedly.

"Knock it off," I hissed between my teeth as I tried to tug my hand away. He squeezed my fingers before he let go.

"I'm not really doing anything, Bella. You cannot blame this on me."

I glared. He knew exactly what he was doing. My glare made him laugh again, so I turned my back on him and stomped into my class, settling into a chair in the back and draping my parka over the back of the chair.

Nothing interesting happened in Government that day -- except that every note being passed and every whispered conversation behind the teacher's back seemed to be centered around one simple event: Edward Cullen had finally shown interest in a girl. Me.

He was waiting to escort me to Trig when I left the Government classroom, and I shook my head at the grin on his face.

"Are you enjoying all this unnecessary attention?" I hissed at him through my teeth, too low for humans to hear as he walked me toward Trig.

"Actually, I couldn't care less about the popular reaction; it's your reaction that I'm amused by. I knew you were shy, but aren't we supposed to make this look as real as possible? Really, Bella, the whole point of this activity is so that the other students won't think it strange for me to be around you all the time." Edward was far too amused by the whole thing. I think he _was_enjoying it.

I could only shake my head at him as we reached the door to my class. This time, instead of brushing his lips over the back of my hand, he leaned over and pressed his lips on the line of my jaw just below my ear.

I stiffened at the contact in such a vulnerable spot. To be honest, the newborn part of me – the one that I seemed so good at smothering -- wanted to push him away from me and then attack. My reaction as a female was quite different. The part of me that was entirely Bella wanted to jump on him and attack him _with my lips_.

My hand clamped down on his fingers in warning, and I held my breath, not wanting to chance what the smell of human blood would do to my control right now. Both of the urges coursing through my body had to be denied; both would call attention to what I had become, and neither Edward nor I could allow that.

Edward caught my signal and he stopped teasing me instantly. He gave me a bit more distance though his head was still tilted toward mine.

"Bella?" his voice was wary, questioning my control.

I held him there, holding his body before mine since I could not hide these moments of utter stillness as I fought for control of myself. This was not a factor I expected. I had known his touch did things to me, but I didn't think he was going to push me this way.

After a moment, I took in a slow breath and then gave him a small smile.

"I'm sorry," I felt horrible that I couldn't control my reactions to him. It made me feel out of control and weak.

"This is not your fault, Bella," he said softly, his head still angled toward mine. "In fact, this one is _entirely_ on me. I should have known better. I shouldn't be pushing your control."

Edward sounded deeply contrite, even angry at himself. My eyes rose to him. I wanted to see his face. I hoped to interpret what I thought I heard in his voice by his demeanor. I was right. He looked angry, but it seemed as though it was turned inward. How could he be angry at himself for something that I was doing?

I felt my eyes narrow in irritation, and I dropped his hand to reach up and frame his face between my hands. I gave him an arch look as I tilted his head until his eyes met mine.

"This is not your fault, Edward. You cannot be responsible for the actions of others. Even if I lose it, it's not your failure," I wanted him to know this, to understand it and to accept it.

"I'm supposed to be keeping you out of situations that test your control, Bella," he countered with a frown.

I had to laugh at that. Being within miles of any human tested my control. Everything was going to test my control. There was only so much he could intercept, and really, this thing between us was so unexpected. Who could really understand what it was going to do to either of us?

"Edward, every time something new or unexpected happens, it will be a test. You know better than I, but I don't see this getting any easier. I just need to get more practiced." I reached up to push a hank of hair out of my face. The gesture was one of frustration, but when I caught the look on his face as he studied me, I didn't feel quite as frustrated as I had a moment before. He looked so upset that I almost smiled. "If that is the case, then each time I conquer this, it will only make me stronger. Right?" I countered with my own version of his crooked smile.

"Bella," he just shook his head at me, a smile touching his lips. "Only you would find the bright side in a close call."

"I have to or I'd want to cry all the time. You'd better hurry, or you'll be late to class," I reminded him, smiling.

He just shook his head at me, reached for one of my hands, and again brushed his lips over the back of my knuckles. My reaction was less raw this time, not that it didn't make me shiver, it definitely did. This time, I didn't feel the nearly overwhelming urge to attack him. He left me and I made my way into class.

Jessica Stanley slid into the desk next to mine and the anger on her features was gone almost before I saw it. She'd replaced it with the overwhelming interest of the school gossip. Ah, here the "dating" charade would either take substance, or become obvious that we were just faking it.

"Bella," Jessica started enthusiastically, glancing up at the front of the room to the teacher before she turned back to me. "You have to tell me all about it. You and Edward Cullen? I've never seen him even notice a girl before."

Of course he hadn't, human girls were a walking, talking disaster waiting to happen. How would a vampire be able to justify risking a human life in such a way?

"I guess," I said softly, setting my books on the desk and getting a notebook and pencil from my backpack. "He keeps walking me to my classes."

"I saw," Jessica couldn't keep the envy out of her voice this time. "Mike said that Edward walked you out of Biology yesterday and every time he or I have seen you since, you've been together. And now, he's holding your hand!"

I just shrugged, not sure what to say that wouldn't sound downright contrived. Thankfully, at that point, the teacher called the class to attention and started the lesson. Again, the Super Brain that was now in my head made sure that I had plenty of computing space to worry about everything that was happening. I kept notes, but they didn't hold my interest. Instead, my mind reviewed the events of the last twenty-four hours. Edward Cullen was either an incredible actor, or he was developing some sort of interest in me.

I found it really difficult to believe that there was anything about me that could be genuinely appealing to a man so beautiful, experienced and just downright enticing. It wasn't just that he was beautiful; his _personality_ drew me as well. I found him sincerely attractive. I wanted to know more about him, and the more I learned; the more I liked.

Admitting the draw that he had for me, even just to myself, made me nervous. I had a feeling that this was going to end badly for me. I was going to fall in love with the elusive and attractive Edward Cullen and as soon as the need for this charade was over, he and his family would disappear and I would be left alone again.

Was I even capable of keeping an emotional distance with him constantly around? I was far too sensitive to his presence and I was thinking of him when he wasn't. I didn't know if I should work at keeping myself from falling for him, an effort almost surely to fail, or if I should concentrate my attention on enjoying what I could of him while he was around and deal with the inevitable pain and rejection when the time came.

My own experience with men was nonexistent and this wasn't exactly something that I could discuss with my mother. She'd never be able to understand why a boy would have to pretend to show interest in me in the first place. My mother was incredibly loyal. She was often easily distracted, but this was one area she never wavered. She'd inform me that there was no way that Edward's interest wasn't genuine and I should take advantage of the attention he showed me.

The loneliness that had faded almost completely since leaving the Cullen house the day before returned in full force. I wasn't alone any more, not really, but I wasn't a part of their family, no matter what Alice implied to the contrary. I was an outsider, and would always be. I would always be separate from everyone else, watching real people's lives from the outside.

As the bell rang, I made a break for it, rushing a bit faster than I should to avoid Jessica's questions. When I entered the hallway, Edward wasn't waiting for me as he'd promised; instead Alice waited for me. She smiled at me broadly, threading her arm through mine as she led me right outside. I outright ignored the other students around me, but Alice received a curious look. I was unsure about this change in the plan.

Her voice, when she answered me, was too soft and fast for any humans to decipher what she was saying. They would think she was mumbling at me and see their own hearing lacking before they decided she'd done something superhuman.

"I told him to give you a break," she explained at the look on my face and smiled at me in a gesture that almost seemed loving. "You seemed to be overwhelmed when you were talking to Jessica so I told him I would come and meet you. When you're ready, we can go into lunch."

I gave her a grateful squeeze and it made her laugh, drawing the attention of everyone within hearing distance. Alice's laugh was addictive and adorable, filled with delight in life.

"You are an angel," I whispered back to her. "I only yesterday found that I wasn't alone, and it is a bit much to not be given a chance to stop and absorb it all."

She laughed again, leaning on my arm and I smiled down at the top of her spiky black head, and I was instantly soothed. We might not be very close now, but Alice could very easily become my best friend. She was so easy to be around even when she was openly manipulating all the events around her to bring about the future she wanted to see. I could see that she did these things out of love for her family instead of any personal agenda and it made me care about her that much more.

"Bella, you are family now too, you know," she assured me as we got near my truck and tugged on me to slow down now that we were out of earshot of the humans. "I know it's still new and doesn't feel like it, but you were meant to be a part of our family. You will be my sister and I already love you."

How did this little brat know just exactly what I needed? I looked down at her as I stopped in the middle of the parking lot and she tilted her head up so that her eyes could meet mine and she smiled. I felt close to tears, though I already knew I could no longer produce them. At least, I hadn't felt this as a vampire. I wanted to cry, not out of sadness, but from gratitude. She jumped up to hug me tightly and laughed her bell-like chime again. I held her close, relishing the moment of uncomplicated affection.

"Thank you, Alice," I whispered in her ear. "I really needed to know that."

Alice tugged on my arm and we headed toward the cafeteria now that I was no longer panicking. I found that I could even smile as we approached Edward in the lunch line.

"Feeling better?" he asked as we walked, I looked up at him in surprise. "Alice said things were getting a bit overwhelming."

She was right but I wasn't sure I wanted to admit it to Edward. I didn't answer verbally, I shrugged.

"It is overwhelming," he smiled at me reassuringly. "But we are here to help, not make things harder." He was saying everything right.

I sighed, taking a spot in the lunch line. I took a slice of pizza. It all looked gross, but it was part of the dance of looking human. Edward grabbed a plate behind me, added more food than I took, and followed me through the line. I tried to object when he paid for both "meals", but he didn't even give me the chance to say anything. His next move was to nudge me toward the table where his family waited.

I settled into the empty seat next to Alice and tried to ignore the looks Jasper was giving me from her other side as Edward slid into the chair on my other side.

"Hello, Bella!" she greeted even though she'd left me at the line just a moment earlier, and Emmett laughed at her enthusiasm from where he sat across the table.

"You'll never get away from her now, Bella," he warned me. "She's decided she likes you."

I laughed. Emmett was just as joyful as Alice, and I found I couldn't dislike him even if he was big and dangerous-looking. Emmett's entire life seemed to be about play, all different kinds of play. He was like a big kid with unlimited energy.

"Thanks, Emmett. I had been trying to sneak away earlier. Ya know, skip school, cause some trouble. Now, I know better," I was very grateful to Emmett for making me smile.

"Even if you'd been able to outrun Alice, you would _not_ have gotten away from me," Edward teased from beside me as he nudged around the food on his tray slightly, only repositioning it. He cut or tore portions off here and there to make it look as though he might have eaten something.

I tilted my head at Edward, deciding I wasn't going to ruin this fun and light atmosphere with my insecurities.

"Really? I haven't tried to outrun you yet, maybe you wouldn't be able to catch me," I smiled at him and he laughed softly.

Alice giggled at the look on my face as Edward chucked, then she patted my hand as I pulled my lunch tray closer to me.

"Edward is the fastest of all of us, Bella. There's a good chance you wouldn't be able to get away from him if you really wanted to run for it," Alice continued the fun as I reached for the pizza on the tray. "Even as a newborn."

I grinned back at Alice and took a bite of the pizza, horrible thing. It tasted worse than I imagined cardboard would taste but more awful. Did the lunch workers dip these in grease before they served them? School lunch pizza was never edible, but I'd always enjoyed pizza delivery in Phoenix in the BV period of my life. I'd decided last night that the division of my life deserved better definition. Thus I now had "before vampire" and "after vampire"-- or in my own mind: BV and AV. I did my best to choke the pizza down while I worked at keeping the expression on my face free of the disgust I was really feeling.

I looked up to find Rosalie watching me with not only her standard hostility, but also one of revulsion on her lovely features. She could make even disgust look beautiful.

"How can you eat that?" she demanded. She hadn't hidden her disapproval of me from the very beginning, and apparently, she wasn't going to spare me her opinions about other things either.

"Part of keeping the secret," I stated as though it should be a given, shrugging at her. "I figure if I don't, then sooner or later, someone is going to notice that I never really eat in public. I don't eat a lot, and most of the time, I just get a drink. It's easier to choke up the liquids in the bathroom before the next class."

She looked away, but I could easily translate the look on her face. She was too dignified to run into the bathroom between classes and choke anything up. This was one part of acting human that would never be worth it to her.

I shrugged and went back to take another bite of my pizza, looking up to notice Edward watching me with an understanding look on his face. After a moment, he looked away and then continued tearing his roll with his elegant fingers.

"Bella, how do you feel about ditching?" Edward asked me quietly as I pushed my tray away, having succeeded in people seeing me eat.

"Ditching?" He'd surprised me and I wasn't sure how to answer.

"They're doing blood-typing in Biology today," he explained and I froze.

"I think ditching Biology today is the smartest thing I may ever do," I agreed, and Alice giggled next to me.

"You were safe in outlying buildings all morning or I'd have told you earlier," Alice beamed at me. "Go hang out with Edward in his car," she suggested. "I've got a test in Physics."

I glanced over at Edward to see if that was on his agenda and he gave me a nod. Looks like I was going to be ditching Biology with Edward Cullen. There was no way that the entire class wasn't going to notice our empty table and think we weren't together, especially Mike Newton.


	10. Chapter 10 Close Call

**Author's Notes: Skipping biology: who knows what this pair gets up to. Mike Newton again? Does he never give up? Hmm, that can only mean trouble.**

**Also, this story has been nominated in The Indie Twific Awards in the category: Canon or AU story that knocks you off your feet (WIP). Yay! Head to their website, theindietwificawards(dot)com. Voting opens Feb 20, 2010. Go vote for this story. It would make my year, honestly. Now. Go now. You know you want to.**

**When you leave me reviews, I love it. It may be already written, but several reviews have had me making notes about things that I can still add in later to make it even more interesting and some of them I have already written in future chapters. Tell me what you think, what you like best and things you are looking forward to reading in the future. **

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**Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.**

**ProjectTeamBeta: mcsc2008 and mcc101180.**

Chapter Ten – Close Call

I felt horribly guilty as I left the cafeteria with Edward. Even though I knew it would be stupid and dangerous to go to Biology, I'd never deliberately skipped class when I was still human. Skipping out was something I knew I'd eventually have to learn to accept, but that didn't make it any easier. I left Edward waiting in the hall while I went into the bathroom to get rid of the couple of bites of pizza that I'd eaten. I couldn't handle the leaden weight in my stomach any longer.

I checked my contacts while I was there. They were still covering enough that I would be fine until we got to Edward's car. Normally, I'd refresh them now for the next class, but now I wouldn't need to do so until just before PE. It wouldn't necessarily save me an extra pair, but it would give me some comfort. I hated them. They didn't hurt, but they were really unpleasant to wear. They obscured my vision and I was as aware of them as I would be two heavy rocks on my eyes.

I glanced at Edward curiously as I met up with him again, and we made our way to the parking lot. I stared at the topaz color of his eyes with frank envy.

"Is Alice right? Will my eyes turn a normal color?" I finally demanded. "I hate having to wear contacts to cover mine."

He glanced at me in amusement, able to see the amount that the red was or wasn't fading every time he looked at me.

"Time, Bella," he answered with a smile. "They'll fade more and more. Right now, your body is still full of your own human blood, just like she said. Until your body uses that up, I'm afraid they'll still be red."

I snorted in irritation, not giving a second thought to the unladylike expression of my dismay. Edward laughed, amused by my reaction.

"Actually, because of that human blood, you're probably the strongest of all of us right now. I'll bet you could beat even Emmett at arm wrestling." He smiled as we got to the car, and he considerately opened the passenger door for me.

I looked up in surprise as what he said registered as I got into the car. He grinned openly at me as he leaned against the top of the door while I got situated.

"Seriously," he confirmed, reading the look of doubt on my face. "You'll have to challenge him later and see. He'll never believe that you can beat him even though he knows how strong newborns are."

He closed the door and walked around to the other side. He got inside and closed his own door, but he didn't start the car immediately. Neither of us felt the cold, so we didn't need the heater. He did turn on the stereo, and the inside of the car filled with soft, beautiful music. It was one of my favorites, _Clair de Lune_. I closed my eyes and let my head drop back against the headrest. Peace filled me. It was fleeting, but I'd come to appreciate what I could get.

"I'm surprised. You don't seem like a classical girl to me," Edward observed in a voice that blended more with the music than interrupted it.

"Hmm? Oh, my mom liked to fill the house with classical, and this is one of my favorites," I admitted, opening my eyes to look at him.

He smiled at me. In that moment, I felt the connection grow between us -- an invisible cord drawing us together and joining us in a way I didn't understand.

"This is one of my favorites, too," he said quietly as though he wasn't sure he should break the silence.

We shared a quiet moment of mutual contentment. I wished that it could always be like that between us. Well, perhaps not _always _just like this_. _I liked when he held my hand. I liked when his lips touched my skin. Those things weren't comforting and peaceful, like this snapshot in time. Still, it was so close to the perfect instant.

My eyes closed again, and we both enjoyed the moments of silence between us until the song ended. I took in a deep breath, letting it out in a sigh before another piece started, and he turned the radio down so that the sound wasn't so invading.

"Tell me what you're thinking, Bella?" Edward's voice was soft. I could tell he didn't like having to ask, his tone was so reluctant, but his eyes so eager.

I opened my eyes to look at him, amused again by the fact that he was so frustrated by not being able to read me. He was watching me.

"I really am an open book, Edward. You may not be able to read my mind, but my mother says that my eyes hide nothing." I didn't feel like I was giving anything away, he had to have noticed that already.

"That reminds me," he started. His voice softened, moving over my skin like a caress. "How can your parents not have noticed how much your eyes changed? Even with the contacts, they're not the same brown at all."

Oh fabulous. Edward had perused my father's collection of Bella portraits that were scattered all over the main level of the house. My father didn't spread out the cute and adorable ones. No, his collection detailed all the awkward and embarrassing ones: the braces, out of control hair and the extreme acne. My head fell back on the headrest, and I sighed.

"I haven't had a chance to hide those pictures yet," I said in a pained voice, reaching up to rub my forehead with one hand.

I didn't know if vampires could get headaches, but it was a distraction from thinking about how many horrible pictures of me this gorgeous man had seen. Every girl's worst nightmare: the guy they liked going through the old family album full of reminders of years she really wanted to forget. My father's walls were that old family album.

"Other than the fact that they make your current differences painfully obvious, why would you want to hide them?" Edward was perplexed again, and the tone in his voice made me laugh.

"Those portraits are horrible, Edward. But to answer your question, both of my parents are very good at _not_ noticing things that are too unpleasant or confusing. I was home, and I appeared safe and unharmed. If I acted a little strange and took up wearing weird colored contacts, it was better than me taking off permanently or failing school. I've missed a lot of school since the attack, but I'm far from failing. Even when I missed days, I still kept up."

Edward shook his head at my explanation, chuckling to himself softly. He had laughed a lot last night and today. He seemed so much less dour than when I had originally met him, it was strange.

"Well, your parent's obliviousness certainly makes it easier for you to pick right back up in your life," he acknowledged as he shook his head. "Charlie does have an interesting mind. His mind is not as clear to me as most people's minds are. I catch impressions of things more than actual words. Whatever protects you from my mind reading , I can see where you got it."

This startled me though it shouldn't, and I turned to face him, wanting to see his expression as we talked.

"Really? What was my dad thinking while you were trying to look into his head?" He was used to this mind-reading thing, but having insight into my dad's mind was a unique opportunity. I wondered if I was really reading him right. Had I hid my change from him as well as I thought I did?

"Well, like I said, it's not as clear as with most people. He loves you. You really are the center of his life, you and fishing. The man is obsessed with baseball and fishing," Edward was amused by the simplicity that is my dad's life. I really was the most complicated thing he dealt with other than work.

I laughed at his assessment and nodded. "Yeah, my dad's a smart guy. He wouldn't be the Chief if he wasn't, but he's really into his simple pleasures. Am I succeeding at hiding things from him, Edward? I want him to be safe. I want to be able to stay as long as I can." I was nervous waiting for his answer even though he'd already asked me what I thought. I wanted confirmation.

"He wasn't thinking about those things when I was listening to him. From what I could catch of the way he thinks, I think you're right," Edward smiled at me. "He seems more interested in making sure you're safe and sound _now_ than he does in taking in details that don't make sense and trying to understand them."

"It would interrupt his fishing time," I supplied with amusement.

Suddenly, I noticed movement by the biology classrooms, and my head turned immediately as though taking in a threat. I laughed in amusement, Mike Newton was practically dragging Lee Stevens toward the nurse's office. Neither of them looked happy.

"Thank you again, Alice," I said with some humor. "The humans dodge the bullet, yet again. Today, they get to live," my tone was soft and somber as the last thought slipped out, and Edward reached across the console to claim my hand as he seemed to do so often lately.

"Bella, don't feel badly about all this. You're doing unbelievably well," he tried to reassure me.

"You don't need to stroke my ego, Edward," I admonished. "I know I'm dangerous now. I could snap at any second and go after someone."

I looked down at my hand clasped in his. His thumb was moving over the back of my hand in a soft caress, and I looked back up into his face.

"Thank you," I started, not sure exactly what I wanted to say or how to say it. "It can't be easy to spend most of your time trying to keep me out of trouble, but thank you just the same."

His eyes smiled at me as he reached up and touched my cheek with his free hand. Everything in me stopped to pay attention at the touch of his skin on mine, and I blinked up at him in confusion.

"Bella, it is no trouble for me to be your shadow," he said softly, his eyes looking into mine. "I am enjoying this time with you more than you will ever know. I wasn't lying last night when I said that you are fascinating to me."

I just blinked, unable to bring myself to look away from his dazzling eyes. I wasn't sure how to react to that statement. Last night, I didn't believe him. I didn't think that he could be telling the truth. Today, I was looking into his eyes while he said it, and while I knew he was a good liar, I didn't think he was lying now.

I didn't want to make any assumptions though. He could easily find me fascinating in an academic way without having any interest in me as a female. The way he touched me, however, said that his interest could not be entirely academic.

"Edward," I couldn't just let this go. I was a coward about so many things, but I was also unbelievably stubborn about others. "Define 'fascinating'. Does that mean that you don't want to fake the whole dating thing, or is it just that you cannot read my mind like you can do everyone else?"

His fingers ghosted across my cheek and his eyes didn't look away from mine.

"I'm not sure yet, Bella. I don't think I would feel this absorbed with you if it were just that I couldn't read your mind." He seemed to have as much trouble expressing how he felt as I had. "It doesn't explain the pleasure I get when I touch your skin."

I stared back at him wide-eyed. I could only watch, feel, take in how he looked and felt. My thinking mind shut down again, and I focused entirely on him and how I was reacting to him. As he talked, his fingers moved across my face, tracing over my cheekbones and brushing the outside curve of my ear. The fingers of his other hand tightened around mine.

"Bella, I know it's terribly forward of me, but," and he paused as though he was unsure of my reaction and was afraid I might lose control again, "I would like to kiss you, if you'll allow me."

I blinked in shock and my breath caught. Could this gorgeous, one of a kind, incredible man really be interested in me in the way that I was interested in him? Could I risk him kissing me? I had the feeling that, if I allowed it, I would be lost to him completely. Was it worth the risk to my heart? Would this put irreparable holes in my control?

I found myself leaning toward him before my conscious mind had even made the decision, and I forgot how to breathe as he leaned toward me. Our faces, our lips, were only a fraction of an inch apart and we both hesitated before he leaned in just that little bit more and his lips met mine in the softest of feather-light touches. His lips touched mine a second time, the pressure of his touch increasing. It was as though he'd let himself understand that I wasn't human; he wasn't going to hurt me if he used just a little more pressure.

His mouth touched mine a third time, parting slightly as his hand slid into my hair and he pulled me closer, rubbing his lips against mine. He didn't try for anything deeper, just a touching of his lips on mine. It was enough to just enjoy the touch of one another, the taste that transferred onto our lips. I inhaled his sweet, incredible breath, reveling in his scent. It called to me, drew me into him, until I nearly flew across the console, pressing myself into him.

This continued for only a moment longer before he leaned back, his eyes focused on my lips still. We were both gasping for air. Though we didn't need air, our bodies were still reacting to the surge of feeling between us. I heard the bell ring dimly in the background as our eyes met, and we could only stare at each other in surprise. Whatever was going on between us was absolutely mutual.

With that realized, both of us suddenly saw the need for a bit of distance while we dealt with what was happening. I was out of the car, backpack over my shoulder again, in a move that really was too fast. I shouldn't have done it, but I couldn't help myself. I needed some air and some distance from Edward. He came around the car, giving me several feet as he fell into step beside me and accompanied me to the gym. Both of us were silent as we walked, needing the time to think more than empty words at the moment.

He left me at the door to my class after a quiet reminder to replace my contacts, and I walked inside to get ready. It was time for a full period of pretending I was just as much of a klutz as I'd been as a human. It would take some careful effort and muscle control to do this without killing anyone. I'd have to make sure that none of my wild shots hit anyone and didn't or make holes in the concrete floor. It was basketball this week . I was not looking forward to any of this, but it was part of the game of playing human.

Gym went horribly as I had expected. Luckily no permanent damage was done, not even to the ball. I got dressed again in my street clothes as fast I could get away with and tried to make my way out of the gym without running into anyone. I didn't succeed. Mike Newton was waiting for me.

I walked just a bit faster to avoid him, but he trailed after me with a single-mindedness that was quite impressive.

"Edward Cullen? Bella, really?" Mike sounded disgusted as he followed me toward the door.

"What do you mean, Mike?" Could he really be that self-absorbed-- he was so sure that if he wanted a girl, she wouldn't be able to resist him?

"He's just a pretty face. He hasn't bothered with any of the girls in this school the entire time he's been here, and now, you two are a thing when you've only known him two days?" His tone grew more and more petulant, and it grated on my nerves. It shivered down my spine like a malevolent spirit

"That's not really any of your business, Mike," I informed him coldly.

I wondered if he'd seen the kiss Edward and I had shared in the car and that was why he was being so petty and relentless.

"I guess, if you want to go that direction. As handsome as everyone seems to think he is, he's a pretty cold fish, though. Hasn't bothered to make any friends outside his family the entire time he's been here." Mike would not let up, and I struggled with the sudden urge toward violence as I pushed my way out of the gym doors and into the open air.

I felt like Mike's attack was directed not just at Edward, but at me. I understood all the reasons Edward had kept himself aloof. I understood how hard it was to make human friends. Selfless, caring, concerned, protective, ever the gentleman -- Edward made sense to me. I couldn't understand Mike at the moment, and my reaction was entirely savage: I wanted to disembowel him. My mind suddenly filled with scenarios, ways I could kill him painfully. Mike kept following me; he walked too close, crowding into the space I used to keep humans away, the space I used to keep them safe.

Then, there was a touch on my shoulder. I turned, ready to attack, and came face to face with Edward. He looked worried. My eyes filled with his face, my lungs filled with his scent. My mind suddenly grew with the knowledge that I'd been a microsecond from breaking the silence, revealing the existence of our kind to the humans. Not just that, I had come so close to doing something really horrible to Mike Newton.

I threw myself into Edward's arms, wrapping around him as though he were a lifeline. I buried my nose against his throat, doing my best to make sure that his scent crowded out anything else. His arms went around me, and he turned and glared at Mike, who hadn't yet backed away. The look on his face must have revealed just how lucky Mike was to still be alive because he finally took several steps backward and walked off.

I didn't move. I couldn't move. I was waiting for the shudders to stop. I was shivering with the aftermath of what had almost happened and with guilt over how close it had been. I was grateful to Edward for having been there right in time.

I felt him nudge me, and he turned slightly, walking me toward the parking lot. He didn't ask me any questions. I was sure he'd gotten the entire exchange from Mike's mind before he'd walked away, and I really didn't want to talk about it until I was sure I had control over myself again.

I heard a sound and felt the movement as he threw his keys toward someone, it smelled like Emmett, and then we were at my truck. I left it unlocked so he didn't need the keys as he lifted me into the passenger seat and then walked around to the driver's side. I handed him the keys before I buried my face in my hands. I felt him back my truck out of the parking spot and drive out of the school parking lot.

We didn't talk the entire way to his house; I thought he was giving me time to gain control of myself again. He drove as fast as my old truck would allow him to go. I only had time to blink before he was out and at my door, opening it and offering me a hand to help me out.

I looked up at his big, beautiful houseand heard his family moving around inside. Rosalie was complaining, muttering about how I was going to ruin everything for all of them. She was spilling vile things about how the stubborn newborn wouldn't be able to control myself and would eventually snap. I couldn't go into that house and act like everything was okay. I didn't have the strength in me at the moment to play the game.

I didn't even look at Edward before I took off. I darted into the forest behind the Cullen house and headed back into the Olympic Mountains as we had last night. I ran to get away from myself. I ran so that I didn't have to think about what I had almost done.

Edward kept pace beside me again, letting me go where I wanted, just being with me, taking care of me, caring about what I felt.

I stopped suddenly after about thirty minutes of random running and I waited for Edward to make his way back to me since he'd overshot. He had no warning I was going to stop suddenly. I looked up at him as he walked back to me. I knew the foremost expression on my face was one of shame.

He immediately took me back into his arms, wrapping me in the warmth of his embrace. As distressed as I was, this felt natural to me. It felt like this was my place. I belonged here, in Edward's arms.

"Bella, it's okay," he said to me softly, his lips moving against my hair.

"I almost killed Mike Newton, Edward," I wasn't going to allow him to let me off easy. "How is that _all right_?"

"If it helps, I have also wanted to kill him several times the last couple of days," he admitted to me, and his low chuckle was without humor.

I looked up in surprise, my eyes searching his face. "You did? Why?" It didn't make any sense to me. Edward had done this for years. His control was something really extraordinary. What in the world would make him want to kill Mike now, all of a sudden?

"You haven't heard what he's been thinking," Edward said, looking me squarely in the eye. "It was pretty standard at first, horny teenager things, but today, it started getting really angry the more he saw me with you. He started plotting."

"What was he thinking?" I had to know what would drive Edward nearly to violence.

"About you," he admitted softly, looking down into my face. "He was determined that you would be his girlfriend and isn't shy in thinking about all the things he wants to do to you. Then, he started focusing on the ways he thought he could take me out of the picture. I'm afraid that little discussion is only his opening volley."

That surprised me. I hadn't encouraged Mike at all. What would make him think that I'd even want to be his girlfriend?

"Me? But he could have Jessica and she's really got a thing for him," I asserted, still not getting it.

Edward laughed again, this time the humor was real.

"You really don't see yourself clearly, do you? Anyway, he was walking back to Biology from the nurse's office when he saw me kiss you and he freaked out." Edward kept one arm around my waist but reached up with the other hand to brush my hair back from my face, tucking a chunk of it behind one ear.

"It felt like he was attacking both of us when he cornered me like that. Even though I was trying to walk away, he kept moving too close and wouldn't give me an inch of space," I admitted quietly, still filled with shame at what I had almost done. No matter what Mike had done or thought, he didn't deserve me slicing him to ribbons outside the gym. "It felt like an attack. He was attacking you, Edward, and that wasn't acceptable to me."

"Bella," Edward said suddenly, his fingers brushing across my cheek again. "May I show you something?"

I nodded, unsure what he was up to, but any distraction at this point was a good thing by me. I was still in shock, and I was going to have to pull it together before Charlie got home tonight.

He released me from his embrace and then grabbed my hand, pulling me along with him. We both started running again. This time, we headed west toward the ocean. We ran in the direction of Forks and then past it and back into the unclaimed wilderness beyond.

He took me to an almost perfectly round meadow on the side of a slight incline. It was wide open to the sky, and in the summer, it would be filled with a profusion of wildflowers. It was lovely, a truly unique place, and I released his hand to wander out into the middle, completely taken in by the feel of the meadow. I turned to look at him, and he smiled at me slowly, that crooked smile that I loved.

"This is where I come when it's sunny," he said, watching me instead of the surroundings.

I laughed, nodding to myself as I looked around again. This spot sat on the side of the mountain, tilted toward the sea. I imagined he would lay among the wildflowers and watch the movement of the ocean, watch the summer clouds drift by. It was easily one of the loveliest places I'd ever seen.

"I can see why. I'll bet this is breathtaking in the summer," I commented as I threaded through the remains of the bright flowers. It was too cold for them now, though the wet Washington weather meant that so much was still green.

He had brought me to his sanctuary. If I had any doubts before that there was something unique and special going on between us, they were gone now. This was his place, where he went to get away from it all, and he'd brought me here.

"I thought it would be more comfortable for you to talk here," he said as he joined me in the center of the meadow.

It struck me again how considerate he was, how absolutely selfless he was being. Edward was truly someone incredible. I threw myself into his arms again and just held onto him tightly. He laughed after a moment and pulled on my arms just a little.

"Easy, Bella. You're stronger than you think," he laughed, not objecting to me launching myself at him, just at how tightly I was squeezing him.

"Oh. I'm sorry. I didn't crack any ribs, did I?" I stepped back. Concerned, my hands brushed over his chest as though I'd be able to feel cracks if I'd inflicted them.

He laughed and caught my hands, holding them together on his chest but stopping them from wandering over him. His hands curled around mine, and he pulled on them until I was standing so close that I might as well be wrapped in his arms. I didn't mind. I'd already decided it was my favorite place to be.

"There are still some things that maybe you don't _need_ to know, but are still important for you to learn ." He drew me down onto the ground beside him, refusing to release my hand.

"You should know about my family," he began, looking up into the sky for a moment while he ordered his thoughts. He was likely deciding which one to tell me about first.

"You first," I insisted with a smile, turning my head to look at him. His head turned so that his eyes could meet mine and I could see the surprise in his expression.

"Me? What about me do you want to know, then?" His shoulders tilted, turning his body toward me so that he could focus on me while we talked.

"You said that you're old enough to be my great-grandfather, but I want to know all about it. How old are you really? Start at the beginning." Now that he seemed willing to answer all my questions, I wanted to know _everything_.

"I was born in 1901 in Chicago," Edward was smiling as he really did start right at the beginning. "I was an only child. My father, Edward Sr., was a lawyer and my mother, Elizabeth, stayed at home. Most women did those days, you know."

"My childhood was fairly usual for the time, I think. I was rather doted on, being an only child of an affluent family. I was a musician even then," Edward paused for a moment and then tilted his head to give me a wry look. "I don't remember it very clearly, I'm afraid. Our human memories fade so quickly."

"The Spanish Influenza hit Chicago in 1918, and my family and I were among those who succumbed." His voice grew a bit sad as he spoke, but I needed to know these things about him, even the sad things. "My father died first within hours of our arrival at the hospital. My mother and I were there together for the rest of her time. I was feverish for most of it, but through Carlisle's memories -- I know what happened."

"She begged him to take care of me," his voice grew softer as he spoke of his mother, and I could almost feel the affection and respect that he still had for her. "He had been thinking for some time that he should create a companion for himself. He'd been so long alone and it was her words that decided him."

His eyes focused on me specifically again and I gave him an encouraging smile. "After she died, it was only a matter of time before I would have followed her, so he made his decision," he continued, eyes drifting away from me again. "He carried me away from the hospital and outside the city to his home there." He paused once more and, I knew he was remembering the bite, the pain, the unforgettable burning.

"Carlisle was very patient with me, but I'm afraid I wasn't nearly as amiable and controlled as you are. We fought a great deal in our first few years. It was so hard for me to accept what I had become." His tone was so filled with emotion that I knew he mourned his humanity.

"Carlisle is the one who discovered my talent, the mind reading," he continued quickly as though avoiding the things he didn't want to think about. "I had been answering him, but I was answering things that he had not yet spoken. He does not often even think things that he will not say. That man has the most pure mind I have ever heard, and we were isolated enough that I did not realize what I had been hearing were thoughts."

"That must have been unusual," I said, reaching out to touch his cheek with my hand. I had watched him while he had been speaking. His face was so expressive of his thoughts and feelings that I had to make contact with it, if even for a moment.

He looked surprised at my touch and then reached up to cover my hand with his. He captured my hand, holding it in place as though he were savoring my touch.

"It gave me time to get used to it before I was bombarded with so many minds. Most people edit what they say so very carefully that at first, it was quite shocking to hear what they were actually thinking about. I learned to tune it out pretty quickly," he said, his face turned slightly into my hand.

"I never thought that it would bother me to _not_ know what someone was thinking." his tone was almost pained and reluctant as though he did not want to admit to it.

I threw my head back on the ground and laughed. "Do I confound you that much? My mother has always said that I am an open book, far too easy to read. You know that already."

He moved, shifting his weight to lean over me, smiling down into my face.

"Your eyes are so expressive. That is the only thing that consoles me. Still, you always surprise me; you never do or say what I expect."

As he leaned over me, he reached out and he brushed his fingers through my hair as it trailed over the ground toward him.

"But you are getting to know me? Even a little?" I asked, having ulterior motives in mind.

"Some," his smile grew a bit wider. "Though, I doubt that I will ever feel like I know everything about you."

"I hope that means that you're not as worried about me, under normal circumstances." I could not forget what had almost happened with Mike.

"It's not that I worry about _you_, Bella," Edward said, looking down into my face seriously. "It's the things you cannot plan for. I want to be able to protect you from the unexpected, like Mike. I want to be there to help you cope with those things."

He paused, his expression serious, and I could tell he was trying to decide how to bring up something that was going to be more difficult. I braced myself for the worst, or at least everything I could think of that might be bad enough to make him prepare like that.

"We need to talk about the physical aspects of being a vampire too, Bella. There are some things you cannot help but notice: the speed, the strength, the change in your eyes, but there are other things that are not so obvious." He lifted my hand in his so that he could look at my palm, his eyes searching for the lines of scars we both knew were no longer there.

"You have no more of the usual bodily fluids that you are used to. Nearly everything has been replaced by venom." He seemed more focused on my hand than on what he was saying.

"Venom?" That one shocked me. "I'm venomous? Like a snake?"

My reaction prompted a laugh as his eyes filled with amusement returned to my face.

"In a way, but our venom doesn't kill, Bella,at least, not in the usual way. It is what starts the change. This is one of the reasons all of us were so shocked at your story. It would have been nearly impossible for your maker to know he left venom in your system and not know you were still alive when he left." His tone was incredulous. "Our venom has two purposes. First, it paralyzes the victim with pain so that they are easily subdued before they die. Second, it gives us the means to change another into what we are."

"Perhaps he thought I was too far gone for the change?" I offered, not sure what I was suggesting was even possible.

"Perhaps," Edward agreed reluctantly. "But it seems farfetched to me. Perhaps we will never know. You do not know who created you, and there is nothing left to identify him."

"That's not exactly true," I said softly, biting on my lower lip as I watched for his reaction. "I know it was probably stupid of me, but I saved my t-shirt, the one I was wearing when I was attacked. If he carried me out of the city, it would still hold his scent, right?"

Edward looked at me in shock, sitting up suddenly.

"Bella, that's dangerous. Having the smell of human blood around all the time." He seemed disappointed in me and impressed all at the same time.

"Oh, I made sure I wouldn't have to worry about that. My mother has one of those vacuum packing things, and one night when she and Phil were gone, I brought my shirt home – I'd hidden it in the desert -- and packed my shirt up in a bag with an air-tight seal. I put it in a metal box and buried it a couple miles from Charlie's house when I got here." I smiled at him tentatively, offering that, even if keeping it wasn't a smart thing for me to do, at least I was smart in how I did it.

Edward gave me a long look and then shrugged.

"It didn't test your control at all, the scent of your own blood?" he asked me, curious now.

"It did, I had to fight so much harder at first than I do now. Controlcomes easier with practice, and I was so worried about my mother. She would throw herself at me all the time, hugging me. Like Alice did that first day." I sat up with him and brushed at the debris that had tried to adhere to my hair as we lay there.

"I don't approve of you keeping your shirt, Bella. In any case, there are other things I need to tell you," he continued. He wasn't pleased with my revelation but he was determined to get through the rest of this information right now. "For the most part, as vampires, we are absolutely unchanging. We are as we were when we were changed – our personalities, our habits, the things that make us who we are," he stilled for a moment, pausing not just in word but in body as well. I wondered if this was something else that I wasn't going to like.

"There are few things that change us after the burning stops, from what Carlisle has observed. For us, emotions, loyalties, they do not flow like water as do a human's. When we find those things that affect us, they alter us permanently. We are no longer the same as we were." His eyes met mine as he said this and I didn't look away this time.

"Carlisle has seen this happen several times," he continued, though I could see this was difficult for him. "There is only one regular aspect of our lives so powerful to change us in this manner, Bella. We do not love as humans do. Some vampires, they have relationships with each other, with humans, but the mating -- finding that part of you that was missing, the other half of your soul -- it changes us as completely as we are capable of being changed."

I knew what he meant. I'd felt it myself, though I had been a vampire such a short time. Meeting him had changed me. I was different. I was no longer just Bella. Now Edward was such a large part of me: what I wanted, where I would go, how I saw myself.

So much had happened, though, in so short a span of time. I wasn't ready to declare myself. I wasn't sure I _wanted_ to feel this way right now. I felt like my entire life was in flux and it was getting harder, not easier, to cope. Not only that, I still had to be _here_ for Charlie: to give him the illusion that I was still a teenage girl.

I looked away, up, and noticed the sky growing darker. His glance followed mine, and it seemed that he knew that now was not the time to press this discussion. He drew me to my feet gently and smiled in apology. We were going to have to hurry if I was going to make it home before Charlie. Without another word, he turned and led me into the woods again, leading me toward home. Charlie was expecting me.

He still hadn't relinquished my hand, even as we ran. My mind ran over what he'd said about mates again, and with the wind in my hair and the ground so solid under my feet, I admitted to myself that it was too late, for me at least. It was hard to believe that it could happen so soon after meeting him, but it was undeniable to me.

Suddenly, I didn't _want_ to deny it any longer, not to myself. I was again delighted, feeling it to my toes, that Edward could not read my mind. I really wasn't ready for him to know this. Too much in my life felt so out of control as it was, but the truth of the matter could not be denied. I was completely, irrevocably, undeniably in love with Edward Cullen.

I wondered at how Fate had brought us both here at the same time to meet as we did. After I'd been attacked in Phoenix, on one of my more depressed nights, I imagined Fate as a wizened old woman who had plotted to ruin not only my life, but my parent's lives too. I didn't like the risk that they were being put through just by being near me.

My fantasy of this figure of Fate had started to change, as I was growing to get to know Edward better. I knew, through our talks, that he worried about the state of his own soul. I could not believe that Edward didn't have a soul, that we were all damned just because of what we were. I believed, wholly, that the state of the soul was based heavily on intent, on the desire to be a good person.

There was no one more _good,_ in my mind, than Edward. I knew what he went through to be a good person and to contribute back to humanity in his own way. I imagined that, if he had ever considered the hand of a figure like Fate in his life, it would be the vengeful old woman I had imagined when I was still in Phoenix.

After knowing him, I now liked to think of Fate more as a kind angel, one that could see the pain in our hearts and the fears in our minds. If I saw Edward as a person so deserving of happiness, I would imagine what Fate would do to give him the gift of an end to his loneliness.

She might have arranged for me to be turned into a vampire so that he could be in a relationship with me. She'd have placed my father in Forks so that it would be the only place that I could go to keep the secret. She'd have ensured that my change took place in a time frame that made me unbearably young as a vampire so that he could not ignore my presence and I would need the help that he could best provide. She would arrange the circumstances so that I would be strong enough to be a part of his life.

I wanted to be this gift that Fate had schemed to send Edward in the fanciful imaginings of my mind. I wanted to be the person that was able to end a century of disassociation, to show him how to be among the living again, and to experience the joy of caring so deeply about someone else. Edward had talked about mates. Did he feel the way I did? This soul-deep connection to each other? It made me start to hope for a Fate-like figure arranging things to her satisfaction, one that would make sure that Edward and I ended up together -- for the rest of our lives.

It reminded me of one of my favorite lines in Browning's poetry, one specifically that I thought would never be one that I could apply to my own life. However, with Edward, the words meant so much to me. I wasn't ready to shout them to the world, as of yet, but I spoke them in the quiet of my soul:

I yield the grave for thy sake, and exchange   
My near sweet view of heaven, for earth with thee!


	11. Chapter 11 The Treaty

**Author's Notes: A visitor for dinner? Who could that be?**

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**ProjectTeamBeta: mcsc2008 -- No one gets better than her.**

Chapter Eleven -- The TreatyEdward's scheme to get me out of my PE class came to nothing, so he made other arrangements that made him almost as happy. He'd charmed Ms. Cope and both teachers so that he could trade his Spanish and PE classes. Now, he attended both of those classes when I did. This was wonderful even if I had to have him witness some of my less graceful moments as I missed shots and deliberately fell on my face. Edward found it endlessly amusing to watch a vampire attempt to seem so human, but his presence kept me distracted from Mike's relentlessness.

As Edward had warned me, Mike hadn't given up on me entirely and seemed to be hunting for ways that he could disrupt whatever relationship building was going on between Edward and me. He went out of his way to get me alone and bumped into me during class, no matter the sport we were doing. Edward put a stop to most of his antics pretty early, reacting fairly strongly when Mike tried to _fall_ into me one day. I started to wonder if his plan was to annoy me until I gave in and went out with him. I was eternally grateful that Edward was there to make sure that Mike didn't "volunteer" himself into an early grave when we had to pair up in teams for badminton.

After the first couple of days, Edward starting picking me up for school in his car. The rest of his family traveled back and forth in Rosalie's bright red BMW. I loved the time we had alone together, back and forth from school, though it often made me nervous. He drove like a maniac, and I would pester him about being the Chief's daughter and having to turn him in for breaking so many traffic laws.

In the afternoon, we'd linger at my house for the most part. Both of us were very reluctant to share each other while we were getting to know one another. We'd do our homework and then I'd work on Charlie's dinner. Edward always disappeared when we heard Charlie's car coming down the street, but he was always close by, either outside or up in my room waiting for me.

Nights were my favorite part, we spent the first half of the night in the forest, hunting at first and then walking quietly together. The rest of the night was often in my room in case Charlie got up and checked in on me. We spent the entire time talking. We were getting to know each other; our likes, dislikes, habits and histories.

Edward had so much more to say than I did, naturally; I made sure of it since he had so much more time to cover. This time between us was easy and pleasant. It distracted me from the still unfamiliar feelings and thoughts that I had learned were normal and so much more enhanced in the usual newborn vampire.

I was constantly coping with the rampant thirst, mood swings and sudden aggression. All of these things were absolutely uncontrollable in the usual newborn, and I'd learned this was the main reason why Jasper always watched me so closely. I'd seen his scars, the mark of a dangerous and experienced fighter. Jasper was formidable, any vampire who saw him would know it immediately. He'd survived every one of the fights in which he had gained each one of those scars, and each vampire who'd marked him thus had met their end.

Edward explained Jasper's history to me, why he was so careful around me and why I made him so nervous.. Jasper didn't trust any newborn and my apparent control mystified him. He'd interacted with countless newborns in his lifetime, and not a single one of them had ever exhibited the strength of mind that I did. It took some vampires up to ten years before they could even remotely function around humans without attacking them. Jasper still had issues with controlling his thirst even now. It was a constant struggle to reign in his need to feast on humans. As difficult as it was for him to resist, it was nearly impossible for him to believe that I wasn't going to suddenly lose control and start slaughtering the town.

I didn't laugh when Edward had revealed this to me; sometimes I felt like I was going to go on a spree of pain and death all over Forks. Edward did make it easier in many ways. It was really difficult for me to think about bad things at all when we were together. But also, being around him made it so much easier for me to think about things other than my need to quench my thirst. More than that, after the time we spent together, he was now absolutely sure of my control even more than I was myself. I had never been a girl that needed the validation of someone else's opinion, but I could not avoid my new reality that Edward's belief in me made it easier for me to be stronger.

A week after my arrival in Forks, Charlie invited his best friend, Billy Black, over for dinner. They'd been fishing together since my arrival, but I hadn't gone to the reservation with Charlie. Edward had warned me about the treaty, so I knew I had to stay out of Quileute territory. In taking me under their wing, I became a part of that, which meant I didn't cross the boundary line, which he showed me one night.

That afternoon, Edward stayed with me until the time for Charlie to come home, and then he faded out into the back, presumably running home to spend some time with his own family. He didn't like leaving me alone for this but felt that it probably wasn't a big deal. People didn't believe in the supernatural anymore, and he didn't think it would be any different than having anyone else in the neighborhood over.

I still wasn't quite sure what my relationship with Edward was exactly. We'd never sat down and defined things exactly, but I wasn't ready to clue Charlie into the fact that there was now a man in my life. He was protective enough as it was, and I didn't think he was ready for me to have a boyfriend. Almost always, Edward spent the time when Charlie was awake out in the trees behind the house or hiding in my room, but Esme had been insisting that she missed him, so Edward had taken the opportunity tonight to go home and spent some quality time with his family.

I'd taken some care with dinner since Billy's wife had died some years earlier and he only had a son, just a couple years younger than me, at home. Charlie had to remind me of this small fact since most of my human life had faded into foggy memories and this wasn't something I had retained. I figured a nice home-cooked meal wouldn't be horrible for them. I didn't know if Billy, or his son, was a good cook, so I thought it was better to be safe than sorry.

I'd found a garlic rub for the fish that seemed like it would be yummy even though human food didn't appealed to me anymore. I was in the kitchen frying up the fish when Billy and Jacob arrived. Charlie wasn't home yet, but I let them in anyway. Billy's face was instantly startled when he caught sight of me, which was really surprising.

"Jacob," Billy said as he rolled into the house on his wheelchair and followed me into the kitchen. "Run out and check in the trunk of the car and get those pictures of your sisters. Charlie wanted to look at them."

Jacob looked surprised at being sent out into the cold rain again but only shrugged and went to do what he'd been asked. Billy looked like he wanted to talk, but I didn't want the fish to burn, so I went back to the kitchen and over to the stove. I turned the fillets carefully, trying to keep as much of it from sticking to the pan as I could.

"Bella," Billy started, trying to get my attention. He sounded uncomfortable. "How long have you been like this?"

"What do you mean?" I glanced back at him over my shoulder.

"You are a cold one now, Bella," he said softly. "Like the Cullens. A vampire."

I stilled then looked up from the stove to meet Billy's eyes. He knew. I saw it in his face. Edward was wrong. People did still believe in the supernatural.

"The Cullens? I didn't know you knew them," my mind was scrambling for options, explanations. I wasn't sure how to respond.

I heard Jacob close the trunk of the car and start climbing the front steps. Billy heard him too, and realizing our time was short, he sighed softly.

"We need to talk about this, but it isn't time for Jacob to know yet," there was a worried tone in his voice. "You are friends with the Cullens?" He seemed to want confirmation. I nodded.

"Come with the leader of the Cullens to the boundary line straight west from Forks at midnight. We'll meet you there," Billy said quickly and then rolled over to a spot at the kitchen table where he set down the six-pack of beer that had been sitting in his lap. Jacob had made it to the kitchen door by then, shaking his head like a dog and flinging wet drops of rain all over his father.

"There aren't any pictures of the girls in the trunk, Dad," Jacob said, smiling at the grimace on Billy's face as he got sprayed with rainwater. "You must have left them back at the house."

"Ah, I must have," Billy agreed easily, and I knew there never had been any pictures in the trunk. "I'll have to bring them another time."

I flipped the fish out of the pan and onto a serving dish just as Charlie's patrol car rolled into the driveway, and I held back a sigh of relief. I was suddenly worried. I didn't want my father to know about all this supernatural stuff, and I didn't know that Billy wouldn't insist on telling him that his only child was now a vampire. This could easily turn very bad, very fast.

Once again, my life here in Forks, which was _so_ much better than I had ever expected it to be, felt threatened. Knowing about vampires would put Charlie at risk from the Volturi. Considering what Edward had told me, keeping Charlie in the dark was part of keeping the secret, the only vampire law.

Charlie came stomping into the house, pleased to see his old friend, and the two immediately started talking about their planned fishing trip this weekend. They were going together to a spot they loved at Ozette Lake, just north of La Push and they easily dominated the conversation with speculation about how their trip would go and what they might need to take with them.

Dinner was nice, though I had to eat more than I usually did; Jacob watched me curiously throughout the night, but less closely than his father. After dinner, Billy and Charlie went into the living room to watch whatever game was on tonight, and Jacob stayed in the kitchen with me to help me clean up.

"That was something new with fish," Jacob said as he came over to help me with the dishes.

"Hah! You live with a fisherman; you should know how the score goes. They bring home the fish; you are left having to find something to do with it because you have to make room in the freezer for the fish that they will bring home as soon as they can get away from work long enough," I reminded him with a wry smile as I buried my hands in the soapy water nearly to the elbow.

He grabbed a dish towel and started to help by drying the dishes as I washed them. "Nah, I make Dad figure out what he's going to do with the fish he brings home. I'll cook if I have to, but I'm not good at it. We tend to take turns."

Jacob's smile was infectious, and I returned it as I teased him about making his dad cook from his wheelchair. He took it all in good fun; it was almost like what I thought having a little brother would feel like.

We laughed a lot as we washed the dishes and cleaned up the kitchen. By the time they were ready to leave, I was actually reluctant to see Jacob go. I'd enjoyed his visit more than I thought I would.

When they left, I escaped upstairs, telling Charlie I was going to work on homework, but I was just looking for some time alone. I loved being with Edward, but alone-time wasn't something that I had much of anymore, and I took advantage of it when I could. Just because I didn't need to sleep didn't mean that things couldn't sometimes get exhausting.

When I got to my room, though, Edward was waiting for me. I took one look at the expression on his face and sighed, crawling onto my bed into my favorite spot. I flopped over to the side and covered my head with my pillow.

"You heard that, huh?" I shouldn't have been surprised that he was aware of the little talk that Billy and I had earlier.

He must have waited before he headed home if he'd even actually gone all the way home. He moved over to sit on the bed beside me and leaned over to pull the pillow off my head. I rolled onto my back so that I could look up at him, and his expression was absolutely serious as his eyes met mine.

"I was listening to his thoughts as I left," he admitted, looking a bit sheepish. "I hadn't gone far when he noticed you were a vampire. I hadn't thought that the Quileutes kept up the old stories and traditions, but I should have expected it."

"More than that, I should have recognized the name. His ancestor, Ephraim Black, is the one with whom we made the original treaty," Edward continued, clueing me in on the things he would have told me earlier if he'd known I might need it. "Billy's a member of the tribal council and the direct inheritor of the line of chiefs. If the Quileutes had a real chief, it would be Billy Black," he brushed his fingers through my hair as he spoke.

"So I'm going tonight, I guess," I smiled at the way he touched me almost absentmindedly -- it was as though he couldn't help himself.

"It was nothing short of a summons from the tribal council," Edward agreed, "If we want the treaty to remain intact, the meeting has to happen. I don't like you going without me though."

Edward had become so protective, keeping me out of situations that might test my control or make me uncomfortable. No one had ever taken care of me before, and I liked not always having to be the reasonable adult in every situation. It made me feel cared for.

"He was pretty clear -- me and the leader, which is Carlisle," I explained, reiterating what he already knew.

"Well, you aren't going without me close. My brothers and I will stay a mile or so away, but close enough to help if it's needed." His eyes focused on me again, and he stopped brushing at my hair as though he just realized that he was doing it.

"You must have been a menace as a human, Bella," he complained gently. "Look at all the trouble you get into when you're warm and breakable."

I laughed at that because I knew he didn't want me warm and breakable in any way. Humans were too dangerous to be around unless you had a reason stronger than your thirst. I'd learned that with my parents. But he was right that I had been even more of a magnet for disaster as a human. He was so protective now, and I wondered for a brief second how much worse he would be if he had known me as a human.

"Well, Edward, I'm not going to apologize for not being human any longer," I informed him tartly.

"I couldn't have predicted this one. I wonder why Alice didn't," he said as he pulled his phone out of the pocket of his jeans and looked at it quietly. He looked surprised to find that there wasn't an unread text on his phone.

"You're right. This isn't the sort of thing that she would miss. Doesn't she usually see the big things?" I confirmed his worry as he hit the speed dial that called Alice's phone.

"I see that Bella and Carlisle are going to the Quileute boundary line tonight, Edward, but I can't see why," Alice said as she answered her phone, skipping the greeting. I could hear everything as clearly as if Alice had been standing right beside us. Yay for vampire hearing.

"Billy Black was here at Bella's house tonight and had dinner with Charlie," he explained, though they'd talked about it earlier.

"Billy Black? You'd told me he was going to be by, but I didn't actually see him there at her house." Alice wondered quietly, sounding upset that she didn't already know.

"They've kept the old stories alive, Alice," Edward explained. "He wants to talk about the treaty. Billy _knows_ that Bella is a vampire."

"Oh!" Alice's tone revealed her sudden understanding. "Why didn't I see this?" There was a pause. "I can't see the meeting either, Edward," Alice's voice turned suddenly hard, and she sounded upset again.

"They want to meet with just Bella and Carlisle, but I thought Emmett, Jasper and I could wait about a mile away in case something goes wrong," Edward explained. "Billy's thoughts weren't outright antagonistic, he was just worried why Bella was changed and wanted to know if we'd done it. He's worried we broke the treaty."

That didn't seem to mollify Alice and she made a rude sound of frustration.

"I'm coming with you, Edward. I'll let Carlisle know, and we'll meet you at the baseball clearing at 11:00. I don't like not being able to see what is going to happen." Alice hung up suddenly, and Edward's fingers curled around his phone, closing it.

"You heard all that?" He knew I had, but I nodded anyway.

We both paused when we heard Charlie moving around downstairs in his evening ritual before heading up to check on me. I jumped off my bed, spread out my homework and looked studious as Edward slipped into the closet. By the time Charlie opened my door with a quick knock, everything looked like my father expected, and I was able to look up at him innocently as he told me good-night and headed off to bed.

Edward slid out of the closet and came up behind the chair I was sitting in. It was only 10:00, and I didn't know how I was going to wait patiently until it was time to leave. Charlie had to go to sleep before I was going anywhere. I turned back to my desk and started on what little homework I had left as Edward looked down to see what I was working on. I often completed my assignments early, but I occasionally wanted the distraction of something to do while I waited for Charlie to conk out. Charlie usually passed out pretty quickly usually, but that didn't mean that I wasn't going to go nuts waiting for it tonight.

After a moment, Edward started to gather my hair, running his fingers through the strands and pulling it away from my face. I looked back at him in surprise and he shrugged, shooting me that uneven smile that I loved.

"I need something to occupy me too," he explained as though it should be obvious to me.

"Messing with my hair cannot be all that absorbing." The look of surprised disbelief on his face made me laugh, as I'm sure it was meant to.

He just shrugged again in answer, as though he didn't expect me to understand. His touch distracted me so much that it was impossible for me to even work on my homework. I could only concentrate on the feel of his long pianists fingers sliding through the strands of my hair.

After a few moments of me sitting there doing nothing but enjoy his touch, he tugged on my hair gently. "What about your assignment, Bella?" His voice was low and amused.

"Like that's possible when you're touching me," I still didn't like admitting these embarrassing things, but he'd gotten so persistent about making me answer his questions, and I knew he'd get it out of me eventually.

"It's just your hair, Bella," he said as though he didn't know the effect his touch had on me.

I leaned back to look up at him, resting my head on the back of my chair, and I smiled into his face. "No, I like it, Edward. Right now, it's relaxing me. It's soothing."

Even his touch on my hair sent an electric charge through me that I was sure would never fade in intensity, but it still brought a peace I rarely felt otherwise. He dropped my hair to rest his hands on my shoulders, and he smiled down into my face. After a second, he smiled unhappily.

"I really don't like you going without me tonight," he said softly and then stepped back as I rose from my chair and turned to wrap my arms around him.

"It'll be all right, Edward. No one broke the treaty and Billy will understand that. He's been Charlie's friend for a long time," I tried to reassure him. Unfortunately, I wasn't so sure myself.

Then again, what could a small group of humans do to a large group of vampires in retaliation for breaking the treaty, even if that were the case? I respected Billy, but he was one middle-aged man in a wheelchair. The tribal elders may not all be disabled, but I was pretty sure they were _all_ older men -- older _human_ men.

Charlie distracted me from my thoughts with a snort. He was snoring, and I laughed at the sound, dropping my head onto Edward's shoulder. I loved how predictable my father was. The minute we heard loud snoring from Charlie's room, it was safe to get going.

Edward drew back and walked over to the window, pulling it open and gesturing me out. "Come on," he directed me with a smile. "Even if it isn't time to meet the others, let's get out of the house."

I grinned at him as I walked over and hopped out the window, turning to watch as he closed it. We shimmied down the tree at the same time and headed out into the forest behind the house hand in hand.


	12. Chapter 12 Not Just Tribal Elders

**Author's Notes: A race in the woods, comfort from an unlikely source and touchy tribals elders. What else can go wrong?**

** We didn't make it to the final round in The Indie Twific Awards. It made me sad.**

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**Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.**

**ProjectTeamBeta: mcsc2008 and AvaA. They did an amazing job on this chapter and it is much stronger for their hard work.**

Chapter Twelve – Not Just Tribal Elders

I stopped Edward not far into the line of trees behind Charlie's house. I'm sure the mischief I was feeling was reflected on my face. I was worried about the meeting later that night so I was looking for a distraction. Edward was looking at me curiously, but I just smiled at him for a long moment before I said anything.

"Edward, Alice said something once that made me quite curious," I began, my lips curving upward in a teasing smile.

"What was that, Bella?" He was always so desperately polite with everyone, but he had a look in his eye -- warm and affectionate -- that I had only noticed when he was looking at me. I liked that.

"Just how fast are you?" At that moment, he realized what I was up to and the smile on his face grew until it reflected in his eyes and radiated back at me.

"Why don't we see?" he suggested in a soft low tone that made me want to grab him and kiss him. He took a step back and bowed toward me formally. "Ladies first."

I needed no more prompting, figuring that I would need any advantage that I could get, and I took off into the trees like a bullet. He gave me only a second before he followed me. He was right on my heels.

I was running for all that I was worth. What little I had seen of his family told me that Alice wasn't often wrong, and she had already told me that Edward was desperately fast. For a moment, I pondered trying to trip him but gave up on that idea. I wasn't a cheater, and besides, I really did want to know just how fast he was. He might win this race, but he was going to have to work for it.

He let me lead, for the most part, running next to me in a nearly leisurely manner. It was obvious, however, that he was enjoying himself. He was so radiantly happy, the smile on his lips nearly took over his entire face.

After quite some time running, it became obvious that he was humoring me. Both of us could run for days, but he was keeping a perfect pace with me. I tried to put on more speed, but he easily kept up. I shot him a suspicious look and shook my head.

"You're just playing with me," I accused. I tried to make it sound harsh, but I was laughing too much inside to hide it in my voice.

He just grinned back in response.

"Well, then, let's see who can make it to your meadow first. We need a finish line, don't we?" He might have never wanted to stop running, but running did get boring after awhile. I wanted a goal, some end in sight. "Should we make a bet? That seems to be a tradition in your family."

"What should we bet?" He responded quickly, his smile turning mischievous.

"I have no idea. What would you suggest?" I wasn't a gambling girl. It seemed like his brothers bet on everything, so I was more than willing to take his suggestions.

"How about if I win, you challenge Emmett to arm wrestling?" His grin grew wider.

I was immediately suspicious. "Why?"

"I'd like to see the look on his face when he loses," Edward was trying to look innocent, but this time he couldn't pull it off.

"I accept. But if I win, I get another kiss." He'd last kissed me in the car while skipping Biology and I wanted more.

He nodded, accepting my terms, and we spun around to head the other direction.

His grin widened, and he shot forward, proving what I had already figured out. He was faster than I was, and he'd totally been messing with me. I heard his laughter echo through the trees and I smiled. I didn't think he had been a very happy person before I came to Forks, but if that was the case, he was changing. The Edward I knew was quick to smile, shared his laughter openly, and often made me laugh.

He was waiting for me when I made it to the meadow and I laughed at the satisfied look on his face. I slid to a stop, shaking my head at him.

"You are so much faster than I am. I thought you said that newborns, filled with human blood, are stronger and faster and, therefore, better at raw physical things than older vampires." I tried to sound accusing again, but I was smiling at him too widely.

"Usually, that is the case," he grinned back at me, "but I seem to be quite fast." He was trying to be modest, but failing miserably. He'd beat me fair and square, and he knew it.

"So I have to make Emmett arm wrestle with me? I've never actually done that before." I was a bit worried. Emmett was the strongest of all of them and newborn strength cannot be everything or Edward wouldn't have just beaten me at our race.

"Absolutely," he was still grinning wicked.

I laughed at the pleasure and satisfaction in his eyes and shook my head at him. "You're incorrigible. It's about 10:45. When do you want to start for the meeting place?"

He looked into my eyes, smiling down at me, and then walked over and wrapped my hand in his. He lifted our entwined hands and ran the back of his fingers over the ridge of my cheekbone. My lips parted and his touch zinged through me leaving me gasping. Edward was an addiction I didn't want to fight.

"Now, perhaps, isn't the time for declarations, Bella, but I do want you to know that the time I spend with you is not to keep you out of trouble. It hasn't been almost from the beginning," he said softly, shaping his palm around my cheek. He was deliberately ignoring my question, but I didn't mind so much.

I cleared my throat, unsure of how to respond. I knew he wasn't unaffected by me. We had been getting a lot closer in the time we'd spent together. I just had such a hard time believing that the incredible pull I felt could be just as strong on his end as it was on mine.

"You are so much to me, Bella Swan." He smiled at my reaction, but continued softly. "You're everything. Be careful tonight. You take everything that is important to me with you to that meeting."

His hand released mine and rose to palm my other cheek, holding my face between his hands with care as though I were as delicate as a human. Slowly, his face lowered toward mine. It looked like I was going to get my kiss anyway. I could live with that.

But now, it was not fear that was in his eyes as his head lowered and his lips met mine; it was something so much more pleasant than fear. I hoped that I read the look in his eyes right.

To anyone on the outside, our kiss might have looked like cold stone meeting cold stone. His lips didn't feel like stone to me. They shaped around my own lips, warm and enticing. His breath mixed with mine; his addictive breath smelled so good to me, that cinnamon and clove scent that was uniquely Edward.

I couldn't control how he affected me. At the touch of his lips on mine, I was lost. My arms swung around his neck with vampire speed, and I moved so fast that I was instantly chest to chest with him. Immediately, I wanted more. He tasted so good.

His lips parted beneath mine though neither of us pushed for the deeper kiss that would be so easy to rush into. I only cared that he was kissing me again. I wanted his lips pressed to mine, his body so close that I didn't care about anything else.

It was only a moment before he was pulling away again, his head rising away from mine. I tried to follow him, unwilling to lose that touch even for a moment, and he distracted me with a laugh.

"Ah, Bella. As a newborn, you feel so much, so deeply." His fingers caressed my cheeks again.

"Mmm, do that again." I stood on my tiptoes to try and steal another kiss. He was so much taller than I was. In fact, if he wasn't seated, I couldn't reach his lips with mine without his help.

"I would say you have horrible timing, but the timing was all mine, and I did do it on purpose," he smiled down at me, satisfaction written upon his features.

I blinked, unsure of what he meant. I'm sure my confusion showed on my face because he laughed again.

"You tend to get carried away, and we cannot forget about the time right now," he explained and then took a step back, reaching up to untangle my arms from around his neck.

"Now, that's just mean, Edward," my eyes narrowed at him.

"Bella," he breathed against my ear. His voice was so soft, caressing over me in a way that caused me to shiver. "We will talk about this later, and I'll explain why. Right now, we have to head toward the clearing if we want to be on time for the meeting."

I glared at him, knowing he was right, but that still didn't mean I wasn't irritated at him. Freaky, conniving vampire doesn't kiss me enough. I wasn't sure what he was up to, but I didn't like the feeling that he was using my own newborn nature against me.

The entire family was waiting for us in the clearing when we arrived. Edward explained to me that, on stormy nights, he and his family often came out here to play baseball and sometimes football, Emmett's favorite sport. That made me laugh. I could imagine that vampire sports were something to see.

Alice looked disturbed, pacing back and forth. I figured she was upset about not "seeing" this whole thing ahead of time. Jasper watched me as though I was going to level a small town, and he wanted fair warning so he could make sure Alice wasn't in the line of destruction. Emmett was shadow boxing, darting about Rosalie like he was hoping someone would start a fight so he could get in on the action. Rosalie stood quietly, mostly ignoring Emmett's enthusiasm, a bored expression on her face as she inspected the state of her manicure. Esme and Carlisle stood together near where we emerged from the trees, their hands laced together and so much a part of each other that it looked wrong when they were separated.

"Bella," Carlisle looked up as we approached, greeting me with a nod of his head. "Edward," he acknowledged with a smile the man he saw as his son, and I nodded back to him as we neared.

Esme didn't bother with formalities, she grabbed me into a hug as soon as we stopped walking. I laughed and hugged her back. Esme was darling, and I had no idea how anyone didn't love her.

"Edward, tell me what Billy said." Carlisle turned to look at Edward, and I knew he wasn't just asking about the words that came out of his mouth but also about his thoughts at the time.

"He noticed right away that Bella was a vampire. It shocked him, frightened him a little. Mainly, he was worried about Charlie." Edward focused his explanation on Carlisle, though all but Rosalie stepped in closer to be a part of the discussion. She remained where she was, testing the edge of her nail polish as though it might dare to peel. Esme stood beside me, her arm around my waist. I suddenly realized that she was being supportive, and it made me smile.

"He confronted her about it," Edward continued, glancing around at his family. "She tried to put him off, but he didn't fall for it. That's when he requested the meeting. His son was with him and Billy didn't want him to know."

"And he requested me specifically?" Carlisle wondered, probably knowing how difficult it was for Edward to send me into an unknown situation without him.

Edward and I hadn't talked about whether he'd told his family how our relationship was developing, but I figured they knew. I knew Edward saw Carlisle as more than a father figure. Carlisle was someone Edward trusted absolutely, a true confident and someone Edward admired to the point of hero worship. But even if he hadn't talked to Carlisle about how close we were getting, I figured there was no way we were hiding any of it from Alice, and what Alice knew, Jasper knew, and if Jasper knew, Emmett probably knew. And what Emmett knew, even the trees knew. From what I knew of him, I didn't think the guy couldn't keep a secret to save his life.

"He did," Edward confirmed, interrupting my musings. "He asked for the leader of our family."

With that wording, Edward could easily pretend to be the leader and thus connive to stay with me, but he respected Carlisle too much for that. Carlisle was the undisputed leader of their family. He was the standard they all looked to, the backbone and strength of their shared life. They stayed together for him because they respected him; they wanted to live their lives according to the example he set. To me, Esme was the heart, but Carlisle was the soul of the family.

Carlisle stood before us, silent for long moments while he considered the possibilities of all this, and then he focused on Edward again.

"He's guessing that Bella was changed during the time she was missing this fall, but he doesn't know if we were a part of it," Edward answered what must have been Carlisle's unspoken question. "If we changed her, they'll consider the treaty broken."

"That won't be an issue as we had nothing to do with it. I suppose this is to ease his mind, which we can easily do," Carlisle looked over at me at this point and his gaze considered me for a moment. "He could make life with your father very difficult, Bella, no matter the results of the treaty. He may not consider it safe for you to stay with Charlie."

"I'm not leaving Charlie," I stated with absolute conviction, ready to stare Carlisle down if I had to.

Carlisle laughed at my fervent insistence. "Well, let's not borrow trouble. We'll go meet with him and see what needs to happen from there."

Carlisle reached out to pat Edward on the shoulder in an understanding gesture and then the group broke apart across the clearing. Emmett and Jasper squared off across the clearing, starting a wrestling contest that ended up with Jasper winning a bit more than he was losing.

I smiled at Esme as I separated from her and walked over to sit on a large rock near the end of the clearing. Edward followed, standing near the boulder beside me. He leaned down to kiss me on the cheek and then turned to watch his brothers.

"Do you mind if I..." he trailed off, but his eyes focused on the wrestling at the other end of the clearing.

I laughed and waved my hands toward the boys. "Go and play. We have some time before we have to go, and you can all get out some aggression."

He grinned at me and took off in a run toward the other end, joining them quickly. There was no denying it, Edward was fast -- quite fast. As he joined his brothers, the rest of the family gathered near the trees, discussing something quietly. From what I could hear, they were talking about Alice's blackout in her visions. She was quite concerned about the blank spots, and they were trying to figure out what it meant.

After a few moments, Emmett and Edward squared off, and I looked up to see Edward evade his bigger brother again and again. I laughed at the irritation on Emmett's face and shook my head as he insisted that Edward stop reading his mind because it was cheating.

Jasper had left their group, and as I looked for him, I noticed that he had come across the clearing and was making his way over to me. He had never sought me out before, and I was curious about what he wanted, so I sat patiently waiting for him. It only took a moment for him to join me, and he gestured to the space on the rock beside me.

"Do you mind if I join you?" Jasper asked in his soft southern accented voice.

"No, there's plenty of room here," I said as I shifted over slightly to make sure that there was space to be comfortable.

"I heard about what happened at school the other day," he said as he hopped up to settle beside me on the rock.

For a moment, I wondered what he meant, and then comprehension hit. He was talking about the incident with Mike, the time where I lost control like he expected that I would.

"I guess there are no secrets in the Cullen family, are there?" I said quietly, turning away from him to glance back at Edward and Emmett again. I noticed Edward glance our way, but it looked like he was going to give Jasper a chance to talk to me.

"No, not really. Between Edward, Alice and me, there isn't any point hiding anything," he said with a wry note entering his genial tone. "I wanted to tell you that you shouldn't feel so bad about it."

I glanced over at him in surprise and he laughed at the look on my face.

"No, really. I fight harder than you every day for the control not to kill people at that school. It's harder for me than it is the others, you know," he explained.

I glanced toward Edward and then back at Jasper, "No, I didn't know. I thought I was the only one that had such a hard time with it."

Jasper gave me a little smile and then turned to watch the wrestling while we spoke.

"Yes. I have quite a difficult time with our diet. I have the most accidents of all of us as well. You are extraordinary, you know. I don't know if Edward has told you anything about me?" He turned to look at me again as he asked the question.

I shook my head in the negative. Edward hadn't gone into details about Jasper's past like he had his own. He'd given me an overview, but I hadn't thought to ask for more, as learning about Edward had been more important to me.

"Ah," Jasper noted quietly as he looked back again at the wrestling. "There isn't much time to tell you everything now, but I wasn't brought into this life in the gentle way that most of our family had been. I was made to fight in wars against other vampires, battling over the herd lands in the south."

I winced at the description of people being a "herd", but I noticed how this explained the reason he was so scarred.

"Yes, not even close to the life we live now. I was changed during the Civil War, and so I lived much longer seeing people as a food source. I had thought that was the reason that it is so hard for me to abstain. But you challenge all my beliefs, all of the reasons I give myself for why I have such a hard time living this life as a 'vegetarian'." Jasper was watching the boys as he said all this, and I wondered if this was hard for him to reveal.

I didn't know how to respond to that so I shook my head just slightly. "You cannot hold yourself to what I do or do not do, Jasper. It is very difficult some times, and it's amazing that I have not had more 'slip-ups'."

Jasper laughed at my statement and then shook his head in surprise at me. "Which is my point, you hold yourself to a higher standard than I do myself, and I find that I am not comfortable with that. If you, as a newborn, can restrain yourself, then it is my own strength lacking if I find it difficult."

I just shook my head at him again. "That is like comparing apples and oranges, Jasper. I am not you, and you are not me."

He gave me a long look then gestured out at the boys as Edward danced away from Emmett again and twisted so that Emmett landed on the ground.

"You should learn, you know," Jasper said watching Edward and Emmett after a long quiet moment."

"Learn what?" I glanced at him, a bit baffled. We were talking about having the control to resist killing people, and suddenly, I should learn something?

"To fight. You still do not know who made you. The vampire community is not large enough that you can expect to go your entire life without ever seeing him again." His softly spoken southern accent sounded so reasonable. "If you ran into them again, who is to say he would not want to finish the job?"

"What? You're saying he might try to … kill me … again?" I had originally believed the Cullens were going to do that, but in the time I had known them, I had let down my guard. I'd forgotten that this life wasn't an easy one with others of our kind.

"It's possible. Or it could be someone else. It would not hurt you to know how to defend yourself." I noticed Edward glance over at us again and then before Emmett barreled toward him in a sudden attack and he was distracted from me once again. "Edward will never suggest this to you because he is determined that you should never be put in a position where you would have to fight to defend yourself, but he cannot always control that."

I glanced over where Emmett had finally surprised Edward enough that Edward hit the ground, and I winced. I thought about Jasper's words for a long moment. I wasn't the clumsy, out-of-control klutz that I had been as a human. It was likely that I could learn the things Jasper suggested without being totally useless at them. Was it worth it to me to do so, to be able to hold my own if I had to? It only took a moment, and I turned my head to look into Jasper's expectant face.

"I'll do it. What do I need to know?" I told him with absolute surety. I was never going to be so easy to defeat again. I did not have to be a victim; I was a vampire now.

Jasper chuckled. I figured that not only did the look on my face show exactly what I was thinking, he also probably felt my resolve.

"Not tonight, I think, but very soon. It is nearly time for your meeting with the tribal council. Good luck. We'll be close by if you need us," he said as he reached over to pat me on the shoulder, and then dropped off the boulder as Carlisle, Edward, Emmett and Alice walked over to join us.

Esme and Rosalie were standing by the edge of the forest. Esme waved at me before the two turned and disappeared into the trees. I thought they were probably heading back to the house. There was no sense hanging out here. We had a large enough group that I didn't think there would be any problems that we could not handle.

Edward walked right over to me and took my hand, drawing me gently down from the boulder and to my feet. "Are you ready, Bella?"

I smiled at him and nodded, glancing around at the others. "Is it far?"

"No, it's not far." Carlisle nodded to Edward, and he took my elbow in a courtly gesture, guiding me toward what I guessed was the boundary line. "Come, Bella, let's not keep your father's friend waiting."

We took off running and I noticed that Alice and the boys kept pace with us for quite some time. Suddenly, they dropped back, and I glanced at Edward before continuing on with Carlisle. I tried not to worry about Billy. He knew that if anything happened to me it would destroy Charlie.

It only took only a little while longer, and we were coming out of the forest into a small clearing. There was no visible line that I could discern, but I noticed something that smelled strange. It became stronger the farther we walked through the clearing. As he caught the scent, Carlisle seemed startled and drew me to a stop, leaning over to whisper in my ear.

"That makes things quite different. If anything happens, Bella, you turn and run back to Esme as quickly as you can. Not Edward, he'll want to know you're safe. To Esme, Bella, promise me that." Carlisle's voice was almost too soft for me to hear, and his words were spoken so quickly they were almost a single slur.

At my nod, he stepped away from me again, placing himself in front of me as though shielding me, and stood waiting. It wasn't long before there was movement behind the trees and a large man, clearly Quileute like Billy, walked out of the trees. He was carrying Billy in his arms. They stopped several feet from Carlisle and looked at each other. Billy nodded to me in greeting, and then his attention fell back to the man in front of me.

I heard something unusual, and my attention was drawn back into the trees. Eyes. I could see several sets of eyes. They were set wrong for humans, to the side of the head like animals, and I blinked, startled. The movement continued, and I saw fur, limbs, and a muzzle here and there. Three extremely large wolves appeared from under the trees, and they lined up behind Billy and his companion in a protective phalanx. There was intelligence in their eyes and purpose to their movements and position. I sniffed experimentally; the musk I took in burned all the way through my nose. The same scent that came from the wolves rose off the man carrying Billy. I looked from the younger man before us to the wolves spread out behind them and then back.

I'd been a vampire long enough that I knew something about how people smelled. No one had ever smelled like this before. I expected that the wolves wouldn't smell human but neither did the man carrying Billy. My mind wanted to reject my instant assumption that because they smelled the same, they were the same. I knew I couldn't do that, however. I was a mythological creature, why should I assume they were not either?

We weren't dealing with a group of touchy tribal elders. We were dealing with a pack of wolves, likely werewolves, led by a group of touchy tribal elders. Suddenly, I understood Carlisle's warning. This situation could be a great deal more dangerous then we had assumed earlier.

I heard a hiss behind me, way off in the trees. It sounded like Edward. He knew what we faced now, and he was upset, probably because I was facing them without him.

"Bella," Billy started, his eyes on Carlisle. "I'm glad that you were able to meet tonight and to bring your _friend_."

There was a slight pause before the word "friend" as though Billy wasn't sure that the Cullens were capable of friendships.

"It didn't _seem_ unreasonable, Billy," I said quietly, and it could easily be inferred that it might seem unreasonable now.

"This shouldn't take long, really. We just want to check and be sure that the treaty between the tribe and the Cullens is still intact." Billy glanced back at me as he spoke, but his attention was still on Carlisle.

The man holding Billy in his arms stiffened at his words and there was a growl from behind them. The man carrying Billy rumbled under his breath and that put a stop to the noise. I glanced at him again. This wasn't just an underling who was here just to cart Billy around; this man held some rank in the pack.

"The treaty is intact, Billy," Carlisle confirmed in his soft, reasonable tone. "Bella was as she is now when she arrived in Forks just this few months past. We met her after her arrival in Forks."

"You didn't know her before then?" the man holding Billy asked pointedly.

"We did not," Carlisle confirmed, his eyes moving from Billy to the other man.

"Sam Uley," Billy gestured to the man holding him. "He's the pack leader."

It was inferred, in my mind at least, that Sam would be making the final determination whether we were all going to continue to live in peace.

"Really?" Sam pushed. He didn't believe Carlisle; it was more than obvious.

"I was attacked in Phoenix," I stepped forward, still staying behind Carlisle, "by a man I've never seen before or since. He was blonde, taller than Carlisle and had a red-haired woman with him. I think they thought I was going to die. They probably think I did die."

My eyes were on Sam and I met his gaze directly, letting him look into my crimson eyes. I gave him the stare-down that I'd expected to give Carlisle earlier.

This silent stare-down was broken by a snuffling growl from behind Sam, as though someone in his pack didn't like how I looked at him, and Sam finally relaxed slightly.

"When you went missing?" Billy didn't sound as though he really needed an answer to that, but I nodded anyway.

"Bella, we don't know a lot about bloodsuckers," Billy started, the last word coming out with more heat than the rest, "but according to our stories, it takes some years for vampires to move among the human population."

"Your stories are right," Carlisle interjected, and I was more than happy to stay out of this explanation. "For some, it can take up to ten years to be able to be near humans without attacking them, but Bella seems to be an exception to that."

Sam's eyes returned to me again as though assessing me for the threat that I could be.

"So how does she do it? She lives with her father. How is she not a threat to Charlie?" Sam's words were demanding and threatening. The pack would not take it lightly were I to attack my own father.

"He is actually the reason that she is able to do it," Carlisle continued as though he were teaching med students how to change a bed pan. His tone was so academic and matter of fact. "It was her love for him and her mother that gave her the will that she needed to come back to her human life and pick up where she left off. To give them a happy ending when there could not be one for her."

I felt the urge to stick my tongue out at Sam, though I decided that might be a bad idea. The wolves were already on edge as it was, and I had to admit they made me very uncomfortable. They also smelled terrible and it grew worse the longer I stood there. There was something about their scent that burned my nose from the tip all the way into my olfactory glands. I rubbed my nose on my arm to try and dislodge the burn.

"So instead of attacking her family, she murders other people to feed her thirst?" Sam demanded, leaning forward slightly.

I jumped in surprise and anger and hissed at him. It slipped out. I couldn't control it. Carlisle reached back to steady me with a hand on my arm.

"Quite the opposite," Carlisle continued in that same teacher-like tone. "Bella has never taken a human life. On her own, she found her way to live the way that we do, subsisting only on the blood of animals."

That startled the pack so much that one of the wolves in the back actually dropped down onto his haunches, blinking at me in surprise.

"Not once?" Sam demanded, looking at me again and then back at Carlisle.

I knew that it was unbelievable, but it was certainly possible. Carlisle had done it. Why was everyone so surprised that I could not?

"Well, since we were not with her when she was changed, I cannot confirm it absolutely, but I have no reason to disbelieve her. She has memories of her hunts after the change, and as you have seen, Billy, her incredible control speaks for itself." Carlisle was reasonable, but there was no question he was defending me. "She has lived with humans for several months now with her mother and step-father and then here with Charlie after her move to Forks."

Billy nodded. "She acts normal with Charlie, even eating when he eats," Billy confirmed to Sam. "I didn't think vampires could eat human food."

"It is quite uncomfortable," Carlisle confirmed, "and must be expelled later. She is determined, though that Charlie not know, that he is kept safe. He must believe that everything is as it should be, as it would have been before she was attacked."

Suddenly, everyone was looking at me again, and I sighed. I really hated that all of this was because of me. I crossed my arms over my chest and let my hair drop down to cover my face. I just wanted this to be over.

"The treaty is intact, then," Sam said after a long moment of silence, and there was a growl of discontent from behind him as though one of the wolves was hoping it wasn't and the war could begin. "We have concerns over so new a vampire living among humans, though. Charlie isn't entirely safe from her."

I tried not to be offended at his statement, and I could feel the urge to violence rise in me again. I placed a hand on Carlisle's back, wishing it were Edward with me, but looking for strength just the same. He felt strong and sure under my hand, and I pushed away what I was feeling. If someone attacked here, it would not be me.

"We were quite concerned too when we found her," Carlisle confirmed. They had a point and we all knew it. "One of my children, Alice, sees visions of the future, and her assessment is that Bella is strong enough to succeed. The demands of her thirst decrease daily, and she hunts often to decrease the risk." His tone was so smooth and comforting. "One of my children is nearly always with her, ready to step in should something happen to cause a loss of control."

Sam nodded at that. They seemed glad that someone was taking responsibility for meand going to some work to make sure that no one got hurt.

"We would wish that the risk were eliminated altogether, but we all know what Charlie was like when she was missing," Sam said softly, looking down at Billy. "It would have been very hard for him if you had died, Bella." I could only nod at him. I knew; it was why I had returned.

"I couldn't do that to them if there was a way to fix things," I directed my comment toward Sam. "I love my parents. But I won't be able to stay forever. They'll notice I'm not aging. I can finish high school and go away to college, but there is only so much that I can do to hide it. But even if I go away and don't remain in contact with them, it's better than disappearing, perhaps dead, while I was still in high school."

My eyes begged Sam for compassion. They had to let me stay here, to keep my parents happy for just a few more years. They had to see none of this was about me. Sam returned my look and then nodded, accepting my silent request before his attention returned to Carlisle.

"Your family takes responsibility for her?" he demanded.

"We already have from the first moment we were aware she had need," Carlisle quietly confirmed.

"Then we will leave this as it is." Sam's eyes returned to me. "There can be no mistakes with human lives."

"You don't have to tell me that," I thrust in before Carlisle could answer. I had done all of this on my own; he had no right to insult me.

Carlisle reached behind him to soothe me with a touch once more. "Bella, you have done remarkably well on your own. We all know that. No one expects anything to happen. We just want to do our best to make sure that nothing does." Carlisle believed absolutely what he was saying, but I could tell that Sam and Billy didn't exactly agree.

They didn't correct him, though, and for that, I was grateful. But there was no doubt in my mind that they were expecting something to happen. In their minds, it was only a matter of time before I slipped up and someone died.

After the complete support of Edward and his family, I wasn't counting Rosalie's vocal opinion, this sudden assurance that a mistake was only a matter of time stung. Their lack of faith hurt, even if it made sense. I leaned against Carlisle's back, letting my forehead rest against his shoulder, and I just waited for this horrible interview to be over. I was done. My part in this was concluded was as far as I was concerned.

I continued to be silent as they said their goodbyes, and Carlisle waited for the wolves to fade completely into the forest and on their way back to the reservation before he gently turned me back toward his house. He pressed gently on my shoulder to nudge me forward and then led me back into the trees, breaking into a run as I did. We were headed back to safe space.

After a short sprint, Alice and the boys joined us again, and we all started toward the Cullens' huge house. It was still too much for me to absorb. I didn't say anything as we ran. Edward stepped into place beside me the moment he joined us. I wanted to be as far away from the wolves as I could get, but more than that, I really just wanted Edward to take me into his arms and hold me.

I felt the expectations of Edward and his family constantly, wanting to be sure of my ability to restrain my thirst. I didn't want to disappoint them. But now, I was sure I'd have the wolves hounding my every step. They expected me to slip and kill someone. Not only would it break the treaty that the Cullens had so carefully cultivated, but the wolves were sure to refuse me access to Charlie if everything didn't go exactly right. As hard as I'd worked, I could still lose my family and everything I had worked for with a single moment of weakness.


	13. Chapter 13 Stubbornness and Encouragem

**Author's Notes: This is a very short chapter, only a fraction of the prior one, but it was fun and there were some sweet moments between Edward and Bella. **

**I am available on twitter thebugroom. You have to let me know that you're a Twific reader and want to be added, send me a private message or I won't know to approve you. I am not the most avid updater, but I try to get something up there at least once a week. **

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**Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended. **

**ProjectTeamBeta: mcsc2008 and AvaA. They did an amazing job on this chapter and it is much stronger for their hard work. I'm really starting to like them as a team. **

**Chapter Thirteen – Stubbornness and Encouragement**

It was several minutes before we made it back to the Cullens' house. The lights were on and welcoming as we ran across the back lawn and through the back door. Esme was waiting for us in the kitchen though no one spoke until we filed into the living room. Everyone returned to the places they'd been during my first visit to this house, and I wondered if these were their habitual places or if this had started after my arrival. Rosalie sauntered down the stairs and joined Emmett on the loveseat, letting him pull her into his lap.

Edward sat on the end of the sofa opposite Carlisle and Esme's spot and tugged on my hand. He wasn't going to let me sit on the couch between him and Esme, so he tugged on my hand until I settled onto his lap. I let him direct me this time, curling up into his arms. I wanted to be held because I was feeling so overwhelmed and depressed. Edward didn't ask me any questions, didn't press me to explain why I was so upset, just held onto me as though he knew I wasn't ready to talk about anything yet. I was sure he already knew everything that had happened, not only what had been said but also what everyone but me had been thinking as well. I knew he had intended to be close enough so that he could see into their minds during the discussion.

I wasn't sure I wanted to hear the rundown, but I also didn't want to be kept in the dark about what had happened outside of what could be witnessed directly. I had been there, but there were nuances that I'd missed, thoughts and emotions that only Jasper and Edward were privy to. Only one thing made this acceptable. Just like the first day when they met me, the Cullens were having a family meeting. But this time, I wasn't on the outside, I was a part of their gathering and not part of the problem they were trying to solve.

I remembered the time Alice had intercepted Edward on his way to meet me after class. She'd told me then that I was a member of the family and that she considered me a Cullen now, in spirit if not in name.

I looked up at her as I remembered the conversation and found her looking at me. She smiled and I laughed at her audaciousness. She was still trying to tempt Jasper into sitting with her on the loveseat, but even after our discussion earlier, he still seemed wary of me. I was sure that he was quite concerned that I would be a danger to Alice and was always ready to protect her. He was likely concerned about my current emotional state. Between the constant moods swings I had already been experiencing and the meeting with the wolves, I wasn't feeling so hot right now, so I couldn't really blame him.

Edward noticed the look Alice and I exchanged and he tugged on my hand questioningly. I shook my head in response. I didn't know what he was picking up from her mind, but this silent understanding seemed to me like it was a moment shared between sisters. I decided right then -- if it were Alice, I'd like having a sister.

Carlisle had placed himself on the other end of the couch from Edward and me, Esme in the middle between us. Her hand was curled in his, and I noticed they were often like this, some part of them touching even if in such a small way.

"The treaty is considered to still be intact," Carlisle began, confirming for the others that we weren't about to fight a war with the werewolves. "But more importantly, I think, is the return of the werewolves."

Everyone but Edward and me reacted in surprise, even Alice.

"Werewolves?" Jasper must have been quite surprised, his southern accent was especially thick.

"They were here the first time when we were here in Hoquiam. We'd thought the gene had faded into a latency ability," Carlisle explained. "Some of the Quileutes, of specific bloodlines, are able to shapeshift into wolves."

"Really insanely huge wolves!" I exclaimed, sort of surprised that they weren't expecting this when they'd obviously encountered them before.

"How big are they?" Alice threw out as Jasper walked around to dislodge her from the loveseat. He sat down and pulled her into his lap. I was apparently less dangerous than the idea of werewolves. Alice seemed much happier with this arrangement, snuggling into his lap happily.

"They are quite large," Carlisle confirmed, "as big as horses. They range from about five feet to over seven feet. There are four of them, including their alpha, who met us in human form."

"Four for now," corrected Edward. "They're watching several of the young men in La Push. A few of them have the right bloodlines and could start shifting at any time." He glanced over at me. "Jacob Black is one of them that they're paying particular attention to."

I shrugged. Jacob was a friend, kind of pleasant to be around. But vampire or werewolf, we were all supernatural creatures, and I was growing remarkably insensitive to it all. Other than the smell, I didn't see the big deal.

"They're willing to let things lie for now," Carlisle continued, "but they are quite concerned about Charlie and the rest of Forks."

"They're expecting me to go on a rampage and slaughter the town," I admitted dryly, my voice muffled because I was pressing my face into Edward's shirt again.

"That shouldn't surprise you, Bella," Jasper's voice was soft and surprisingly gentle. "You really do have extraordinary control. It's hard to get used to."

I looked up and met his eyes as a feeling of quiet peace settled over me, and I smiled at him in thanks. Jasper was quite good at emotional manipulation, and he was trying to help me calm down.

"I haven't done anything to make anyone doubt me," I insisted and then stopped myself. "Oh wait, there was the one incident with Mike, I guess. But even still, if I haven't attacked Charlie by now, I'm not going to."

On that, the full force of my complete stubbornness was lodged. If there were one person entirely safe from the ravages of my thirst, it was Charlie.

"They see themselves as protectors of human life and view it as their job to be worried that you might, Bella," Carlisle reminded me gently.

I knew I was being the irrational one here, but I found it impossible to accept that they were so willing to write me off. Billy had known me from the time I was a baby, mostly only a few weeks every year in the summer. Therefore, it hurt that he was so sure I was a rampaging monster of death even though I hadn't killed anyone.

Another feeling of quiet drifted over me, and while I wanted to be angry at Jasper for messing with my emotions, I was more upset with myself that I needed it. I hid my face in Edward's neck again and tried to keep better composure.

Edward didn't seem to be upset at my burrowing. In fact, the more I snuggled into him, the more tightly he held me. I glanced up as his arms contracted around me, and he smiled encouragingly.

"If it helps you feel any better, Bella, I don't think they have a thing to worry about." Edward's smile grew a bit mischievous, his voice low, meant for me alone. "But feel free to express your agitation in this manner whenever you like."

"That's all there was to it, really," Carlisle summed up the meeting. "They wanted us to know that they could protect their territory and would be doing so but also that they see it as our job to ensure that Bella is closely looked after. They don't want any accidents."

"There won't be." Edward was looking down at me again. "But I'll be close by anyway in case Bella needs me."

I smiled back at him and buried my nose against his neck again. Nothing in the world smelled better than Edward. I was delighted to get the permeating burn of werewolf out of my nose and replace it with the scent of something so appealing to me that nothing else mattered.

"I don't plan on needing the help, Edward, but you're welcome to hang around, just in case," I offered, my lips curving up into a smile against his skin.

Rosalie snorted disgustedly, rose to her feet and headed up the stairs. "That was anticlimactic. Come on, Emmett." Emmett leapt after her with obvious reluctance.

"Aw, c'mon, babe," I heard Emmett say as he joined her. "I wouldn't mind throwing down against a bunch of huge werewolves. I'll bet we could go run along the boundary line later and see if maybe one of them will cross it."

I tuned the two of them out at that point. Emmett was the only one openly eager for a fight, and even he could be reasoned with. I never wanted to see a time where the two factions came to conflict. I wasn't so worried about the wolves myself since I didn't know any of them other than Billy, but I knew my dad would be upset if any of his Quileute friends got hurt or killed.

Once Emmett and Rosalie had disappeared upstairs, Alice hopped to her feet, dragging Jasper along with her.

"C'mon, Jazz, let's go hunting," Alice stopped just inside the opening to the living room and she smiled at me. "I'll be going home with you tomorrow, Bella," she informed me with a delighted smile. "Mid-week is going to be sunny and I'm going to talk Charlie into letting you go 'camping' with us."

Then she giggled, an infectious, delighted sound and danced out of the room with Jasper close behind. He turned to look at me before he left the room, tilting his head in the assessing way he had.

"Don't worry about it, Bella. Maybe resisting the thirst is your talent. Other than the way you confound Edward. There's not a thing wrong with Super-Self-Control." He directed a reassuring smile toward me, and then he took off after Alice.

"He's right, Bella," Esme assured me as I slid off Edward's lap. He stood as I did, ready to follow me. It was time to go back to Charlie's. "You are strong enough to do whatever you need to."

I was grateful for all of their faith and trust and I smiled, leaning over to hug Esme tightly.

"You're too good to me," I told her softly before pulling away.

"Not all of us, but you're forgiving of even that," Edward said wryly, his eyes following the path Rosalie had used to disappear up the stairs.

"She'll come around, I'm sure," Esme asserted before snuggling into Carlisle, who gave me his own version of a reassuring smile.

"Let's get back," Edward whispered to me, his honey eyes focused on my face. "You don't want Charlie to wake and have you missing again."

He was right. Charlie would wake soon. He led me out of the house, and we ran all the way back to Charlie's place. We'd spend the remainder of the night together, with only the sound of Charlie's snores to remind us that we weren't totally alone. I was perfectly content with that.


	14. Chapter 14 Sunny Days and Arm Wrestlin

Author's Notes: 

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ProjectTeamBeta: mcsc2008, AvaAbney and EmilyLinne did the beta work on this chapter.

Chapter Fourteen -- Sunny Days and Arm Wrestling

Edward weaseled out of discussing that mind-numbing kiss just before the werewolf meeting. Whenever I would mention something close to it, he would bring up things that he knew would distract me. My mother was an easy topic to use. Renee and Phil were moving to Jacksonville, Florida. Phil had gotten a job coaching high school baseball, and they were moving to a place even sunnier than Phoenix.

The situation with the werewolves made me almost crazy, setting off tremors in my hands. Even though Billy had agreed that I could stay with Charlie, I knew the Quileutes were looking for a reason to make me leave.

Alice came home from school with me the next day as promised. Edward didn't seem to want to leave, but when it got close to the time for Charlie to come home, Alice kicked him out of the house.

"And don't hang around in the trees," she demanded. "Go home this time. Esme misses you. She says that your piano is getting dusty." She literally pushed him out the door. "Let Bella and me have some girl time."

I laughed at her high-handed manner. She was so adorable that, even when she was being bossy, you let her because you loved her so much.

"We'll be fine, Edward. Alice will make sure that I don't go all violent newborn on Charlie's dinner," I assured him as he looked about to protest Alice making him leave early.

"It isn't time for Charlie to know about you yet." Alice pushed him again. "In fact, if you're here, he won't allow Bella to spent sunny days with us. This will be much easier, and you know it."

Edward sent a downcast look in my direction, and I took some small pity on him and walked over to plant a kiss on his cheek over Alice's shoulder. We hadn't kissed since the werewolf meeting -- he was uncanny at keeping his distance when he wanted to -- but I thought I could get away with this. I was right; he seemed to lean into the kiss before he grinned at me, ruffled Alice's hair and then walked off the back porch and into the forest behind the house without any further protest.

Alice turned back to grin at me in triumph before she followed me back to the kitchen where I started to throw together Charlie's dinner.

"I do not know how you do this, Bella," she said as the smell of cooked fish filled the kitchen.

Charlie was getting a fish salad tonight. I was really started to get creative with the edible things you could do with fish, and I hoped that my human memory wasn't fading so rapidly that I had no idea what would taste good anymore.

"Mind over matter, Alice." I smiled at her over my shoulder. "You should see my dad in the kitchen. It's really a miracle he didn't die of starvation in the years after my mom and I left."

She laughed, her bell-like trill filling the room, as she settled down into a chair at the table, the one Edward usually sat in while he watched me cook.

"Bella, it isn't just because of the hiking that I'm here," Alice said after a moment of watching me at the stove.

"I know, Alice. You wouldn't have kicked Edward out so thoroughly if you were only here to talk to Charlie." I took the pan off the burner and set it aside on a hot pad before I turned to grin at her.

"Ah, Bella, you are getting to know me too well." I could tell by the smile on her face she loved it, though.

While I knew she and Rosalie were friendly, they were not exceptionally close. They were not best friends and total confidants that shared everything. Personally, I thought Rosalie was too wrapped up in herself to really care deeply about anyone beside herself -- except maybe Emmett.

"Perhaps. What's up, Alice? Is something wrong?" Now that the fish was safe from burning, I walked over to sit down across from her.

"Bella," she started, looking at me quietly, "you're having a hard time with things, and I thought you might want someone to talk to. I know Edward isn't the easiest person to talk to sometimes."

I smiled slightly, shaking my head. A hard time with some things? I was having a hard time with everything. I wasn't even entirely sure just how deep things were getting with Edward. I knew how I felt, but we'd never talked about how he felt. Not really. The only time we'd talked about how he felt about me was just before the meeting with the werewolves. That was when he'd made his comment about me being everything that was important to him. But she was right; it was hard to talk to him about some of the things that lingered in my mind. He hadn't said outright how he felt. He said I was important, but that didn't mean that he had forever in mind.

He had talked about how vampires chose their mates. Did he think we were mates? I wasn't sure. It was so difficult to believe that someone like Edward could love me. I was nothing out of the ordinary and I was certainly not worthy of his affection.

"I'm okay, Alice. I think I'm just learning to cope right now. I'll be fine, really." I loved that she cared enough to be concerned about me, though. I just wasn't sure how to get out all the things that were tearing me up inside, and I didn't think there were any easy solutions to be found.

"Very well, Bella. We don't have to chat about every little thing, but I want you to know that everything -- that I can see, at least -- is going just as it should right now. Even with Edward." Her smile was infectious, and I couldn't help but return it.

"Really?" I was nervous. I didn't even want to hide it from Alice, and I don't think I could have anyway.

"Really. You worry too much about things that just don't matter, Bella." Alice's tone was slightly chiding. "Now, to the really important things. When are you going to let me put you in a dress or a skirt?"

I rolled my eyes and laughed, shaking my head. Only Alice would think what I was or wasn't wearing was something more important than everything else. I really wondered if it wasn't something she used to distract me.

"My dad would think it was strange for me to wear a skirt, Alice. Remember how I was before? I certainly don't want to fall and have my skirt fly up into my face." I shuddered at the thought.

That very thing had happened once. It was why I was still wary of skirts. They caused all kinds of trouble. Skirts were evil, horrible contraptions commonly worn with even more dangerous shoes. Alice shook her head at me, the disappointment easy to read on her face.

"Silly Bella." She outright smirked at me. "You aren't going to fall and have your skirt fly up. Impossible. Remember?"

"That doesn't mean that skirts and dresses are any less evil," I asserted, standing back up to finish Charlie's dinner.

When Charlie walked into the house, Alice and I were ready for him. Dinner was ready and waiting, and Alice was standing politely beside the kitchen table, her hands folded demurely in front of her. I saw him blink in surprise as he looked at her. His gaze went from her to me and then back again several times. I suppose with her dark hair that the similarities between us were obvious: too-pale skin, ultra-graceful economy of movement, brief moments of utter stillness that were observed and then over in the time it took to blink.

I was suddenly glad that my contacts ensured that my eyes were a different color. That would have been too much for Charlie, I think. By the time my eyes faded to the same color as Alice's, we might still have to take measures around Charlie; however, it was likely that he'd just be used to it by then so he'd ignore it. I could hope.

"Dad. This is Alice Cullen; she's Dr. Cullen's daughter," I introduced them with a smile. "She's a friend of mine from school."

"Oh!" Charlie was openly astonished as he continued to look from Alice to me. "She staying for dinner?"

"I am afraid that I cannot, Chief Swan." Alice smiled at him in that irrepressible way that she had. She used that smile to charm people into doing whatever she wanted. "But there is something I want to ask you."

"Charlie," my father corrected her with a slight clearing of his throat. "You can call me Charlie, Alice. Good to see Bella's made some friends at school."

It took Charlie a second to break from the thorough dazzling Alice had delivered. By the time he did, he realized she said she wanted to ask him something. He cleared his throat, shifting his weight from one foot to the other as I watched him try to shake off Alice's enchantment. She was still smiling at him, and I coughed, trying not to smirk.

"Well, Charlie, I don't know if you heard, but my family loves to go camping. On sunny days…" she paused to give him her most innocent look, "you know they're so rare here. Anyway, on sunny days, my parents take us out of school, and we all go camping. We don't usually go very far, and my mom, she's great, makes sure that we still study while we're gone, you know around the campfire, so we don't get behind in school or anything."

I had to turn a little to hide my amusement, not wanting to give away Alice's lies. She was really pouring it on. She sounded just like a teenager, a polite, precise and dazzling teenager.

"I was really hoping that you would allow Bella to accompany us. Esme would be delighted to help ensure that she keeps up with her homework just like the rest of us." Alice, at this point, actually batted her lashes at my poor unsuspecting father, and I nearly choked trying to keep my expression bland.

"Well, I'm not sure about that, Alice. That's a lot of school, and Bella's not much of a hiker." Charlie looked over at me conspiratorially as though he was helping to extract me from a life-threatening situation and he was willing to play the heavy to help me get out of it.

"I'll be all right, Dad." I tried not to look too eager or amused. "Alice's family really is great at this camping thing, and they don't even hike much. Do you, Alice? They own a couple of properties, and I think Alice even mentioned four wheelers or something. Not that I would drive one, of course. Esme says that I can ride behind her when they go up to the more remote campsites"

My dad blinked back at me in shock, and when I gave him a nod that confirmed that I wanted to be included in this, he looked back at Alice. He was sure to be thinking about whether or not he wanted me to go. Just because I let him know what I wanted, didn't mean he'd go along with it.

Alice waited patiently, letting Charlie think things out, and then he looked over at me again.

"You sure about this, Bells? I mean, hiking?" Charlie sounded so concerned. This time I did smile.

"Dad, both of Alice's parents are always right there, and Dr. Cullen is a _doctor_. Even if I trip and hurt something, he'd be able to take care of me immediately. I'm probably safer with Alice's family than I am here in town on my own," I observed speculatively.

Even if it wasn't true anymore, it had been, and he was fully aware that we were all very lucky that my mother's job had an excellent medical plan. I hadn't used it in months obviously, but before I'd become a vampire, it'd saved my parents from bankruptcy.

"Well, that's certainly true," Charlie confirmed wryly. "Your parents are fine with this, Alice?"

"It was their idea," Alice confirmed with the most innocent look on her face that I had ever seen in my life. I couldn't believe that anyone could actually do that without making it look contrived.

"Oh." She'd surprised him this time and was giving him very little room to not agree. I was very glad that he hadn't met Edward yet, or there would be no chance he'd say yes. "And your brothers?"

Not that he wasn't aware there were three teenage boys in their house, I reminded myself. My father was a cop, and while he talked himself into missing certain things about me on purpose, the close, overnight proximity to boys was not something he was just going to gloss over.

"Oh, I wouldn't worry about the boys, Charlie. They often wander off to camp on their own. They always want to go deeper into the woods than the girls do, at least for the night. It's often just my parents, me and Rose in the main campsite," Alice deflected with the talent of a master.

"Hmm." Charlie's eyes darted back to me again, and I just looked quietly back at him and waited to see if he would make my life just this much easier. "Well, I guess that's fine if your parents will be supervising the whole time, Alice."

I didn't relax, but I did quietly start to spoon out his dinner right onto the plate in front of him. Distraction. Charlie was really starting to like having me home to cook for him all the time, and I was reminding him quietly that I hadn't asked for anything since I'd moved here.

"Oh, of course, they will, Charlie." Alice squealed in delight at his agreement, jumped over to hug me and him, and then danced her way out of the kitchen to grab her coat from the hall closet. "I have to run home. Esme has dinner waiting, and she'll want to know right away. She wants to pick somewhere really fun to take Bella to for the first time."

Alice was gone in the next few breaths in a whirlwind of activity that left Charlie sitting at the table and looking far more exhausted than he did when he'd walked in the door. I returned to the kitchen after seeing Alice out and smiled at the look on his face.

"She does that to everyone, Dad." I let him off the hook, and he gave me a look of such gratitude I almost laughed.

"That girl is a force of nature," he described as he finally reached for his dinner, shaking his head.

"Yes," I agreed quietly. "And she's wonderful." I leaned over to hug my father. "Thank you, Dad. Alice is incredible. I think we could really be great friends." Other than Edward, she was my best friend, but that was a subject I was avoiding still.

"Well, just make sure your grades don't drop, Bella." Charlie had to throw out a parental warning since I'm sure he thought he was letting me get away with something.

"I won't, Dad. Actually, my grades are better here than they were in Phoenix," I reminded him as I reached for some salad.

"Yeah, I guess they are. Your mom's kinda sad about that. She keeps calling to make sure you're still okay and keeps prodding me about making sure you don't want to come live with her in Jacksonville." He smiled at that, amusement in his eyes. "Glad you're enjoying it here, Bells. I like having you around the house."

At his last comment, he looked away uncomfortably and focused on his food. Emotional things were difficult for my dad to handle, but we understood each other anyway. This was his way of saying that he loved me and didn't want me to leave, no matter what my mom said.

"I do like it here, Dad," I soothed him and finished off the bits of salad I knew I had to force down. "And speaking of homework, I have a paper due in English tomorrow. Mind if I head upstairs early?"

He just nodded as he shoveled more fish over a fresh helping of salad and waved a fork at me in farewell as I got up.

"Don't worry about cleaning up; I got it." I heard him lift his voice around the mouthful of food, and I hurried upstairs before I broke out into laughter.

Alice was an artist, and I was glad she was on my side.

The next few weeks were both difficult and wonderful for me. When it was just Edward babysitting me, I didn't mind at all. Our relationship was so much more than his just keeping an eye on me. We spent time together because neither of us wanted to be anywhere else. But now, the werewolves had sent Billy Black to babysit me too, and it was making everything that much harder.

Edward and I got our time alone together until about the time Charlie was supposed to be home, and then Billy and Jacob would show up at the door. Their TV was broken, or so they said, and apparently, it was football season. When there wasn't a super important game on, Billy always seemed to find something he could not go without watching at night. Charlie didn't seem to mind the company, but I avoided Billy pointedly.

Jacob refused to be avoided, though his father shot him dirty looks behind Charlie's back. Billy could hardly object to Jacob sitting in the kitchen with me to work on homework. While Jacob wasn't much help for me since homework was all too easy these days, I was able to provide him with some assistance. He was in a grade lower, and I'd done all of the same work the year before.

Edward didn't like this development, and he was pressuring me to tell Charlie that we were dating now so he could openly be there on these evenings. I really didn't want to do that because I _needed_ to be allowed to go "camping" with the Cullens on sunny days. Permission could easily be revoked if Charlie knew that my "boyfriend" was also included in these outings. Edward sulked and protested but always went out to wait in the trees when Charlie got home.

Spending time with Jacob, though, was growing to be a lot of fun. He was like the strange younger brother I never had. Jacob always provided something that made me laugh, demonstrating a wicked sense of humor that saw the truth in things. He never let me get away with anything, seeing straight through most of my crap. The only exceptions to that were the things that were too fantastic to believe. I had to admit part of me wasn't willing to give up this time with Jacob, even though I knew Edward worried about me.

He knew that Billy expected Jacob to have the werewolf gene, and he knew werewolves, especially new werewolves, were quite dangerous. Edward said that new werewolves had uncertain tempers and could shift without warning, harming or killing anyone who just happened to be in their way.

I hadn't seen any of this intemperance in Jacob however. He seemed too happy and well-adjusted to be so suddenly violent, but I also knew that Edward had previous experience with Jacob's tribe. He'd actually known Jacob's great-grandfather, or something, so I was willing to give him the benefit of prior knowledge.

Jacob knew that I had a secret boyfriend, someone Billy disapproved of, but we didn't talk about it. I also knew that Jacob was far more fond of me, at least in a different way, than I was of him. I knew where my feelings lay, and the very nice boy who was often across the table from me just wasn't Edward.

Edward and I still had all night every night together, but I knew he stiffly waited close by to come if I needed him whenever Billy and Jacob were at the house.

The sunny days, though, were amazing. The Cullens didn't actually go camping together on these days. In fact, the couples often took off into the mountains on their own for some quiet time. A house full of vampires with supernatural hearing was nowhere near private. But many days, they did hang out together, and Edward and I spent a lot of this time with various members of his family.

Quite often, Edward and I would find ourselves in their favorite clearing in the mountains with everyone else. This was not one of Edward's favorite ways to spend these days, but I occasionally insisted upon it. Jasper and Emmett had taken it upon themselves to teach me how to fight the way a vampire did.

I loved these sessions, sparring actively with both men, learning how _not_ to react like a newborn and instead to use my mind and body to become a weapon that any vampire would think twice about messing with.

Jasper was fascinating to fight, using scores of years of experience fighting and the emotional climate around his opponent to effect a ruthless win. Emmett was much more straight-forward, using his well developed physical skills to deliver crushing attacks that would do crippling damage if he intended it.

Edward sat out of these sessions, telling me he was absolutely unable to see me as a target and to attack me in that manner. I understood what he meant; I wasn't sure that I could attack him as seriously as I did Jasper and Emmett.

We didn't spend all of our time with the rest of the family. Edward and I took advantage of the quiet sometimes, too. He'd play his piano for me, and we'd listen to music or work ahead on homework just for the fun of doing it together. Other times, we'd take off into the mountains alone, or he'd take me to his meadow where we'd lay in the grass and talk.

We never did anything more than hold hands and talk, but these times were some of the best of my life. I wasn't just learning about the history of Edward and his family; I was learning about how he thought, about the insight that he had into other people's minds. Often he would give me a play-by-play of the things people were thinking during school. He would distract me with the unusual, the amusing: how Eric Yorkie would sing the alphabet song in his head repeatedly if he got bored during classes and how Lauren Mallory had gotten the brush from her mascara caught in her eyelashes as she'd slathered it on so thick one day. Apparently, she'd almost pulled them all out trying to free it.

He wasn't malicious about most of his comments, though he never had anything good to say about Mike. I found that I was starting to dislike Mike nearly as much as Edward did. Some part of me wondered: if Mike was so awful, then why didn't Edward take the effort to dislike him before my arrival? I eventually discounted it as a male-thing that I'd probably never understand and thus mostly ignored it.

Some weeks into the cycle of switching out babysitters, I could not stand the look on Edward's face when he left Charlie's house before dinnertime any longer. That night, instead of going hunting, I dragged Edward to his house and tracked down Carlisle.

We found the Cullen patriarch in his study, reading a book written by one of the philosophers of the early twentieth century. He looked up from the book as we entered and moved from his position standing near a bookshelf to sit at the desk, gesturing for us to take chairs across from him.

"What can I do for the both of you?" Carlisle asked politely; his smile was indulgent.

Carlisle and Esme had been watching the relationship develop between Edward and me with undisguised delight. Carlisle had originally changed Rosalie as a mate for Edward, but the two were incompatible as it was quickly learned, and he'd given up trying to provide for Edward the peace he felt in his relationship with Esme. It wasn't something you could hope or wish for. Either you found your mate, or you didn't. It wasn't something that anyone could manipulate.

I settled into a chair as Edward looked over at me. He had no idea what I was after but was tolerant as he often was with me. I looked up at Carlisle and smiled at him slowly.

"Carlisle, I have a problem. It's not a big one, but I think that it's one with which you can help," I started. "Charlie is understandably very protective of me since I moved here, more so than usual. We've had to hide that Edward and I are ... involved so that he'll allow the 'camping trips' with your family. I admit that I have so much to hide from Charlie that I don't like hiding something that should be so simple to share." My words prompted a smile from Edward as he grabbed my hand and curled his fingers around mine. He could see where I was going with this now.

"I think if you went and talked to him, Carlisle, it might be able to make this one thing right. Let him know that you've noticed that we're getting closer, but you'll take an active interest in what's going on and make sure that everything is proper, as it should be." I grinned at Edward and then turned back to Carlisle.

"It seems like such a little thing, but it would soothe things over with Charlie so much, and Edward wouldn't have to leave me alone every evening with an unpredictable werewolf." I wrinkled my nose at Edward since he knew I didn't mind the time with Jacob. "I'm not worried about it, but he's been pacing a hole into the forest behind Charlie's house."

Carlisle laughed, knowing how obsessive Edward could be, especially about me. Edward rolled his eyes at me but pulled my hand up to leave soft kisses across its back.

"You think that will be enough for Charlie?" Edward asked against my skin, and I smiled at him, nodding.

"He won't be delighted about it, but I know he respects Carlisle quite a bit and won't quickly refuse him. Carlisle's a responsible adult, you know." I grinned back at Carlisle, winking at him mischievously.

"I would be delighted to take care of that for you, Bella." Carlisle smiled openly at us as he leaned across his desk, folding his fingers together on the solid surface in front of him. "In fact, I'll call him in the morning and see if he can spare me a few moments during the day tomorrow. It is not a conversation that you'll want me to have with him while Billy Black is camped in front of your TV."

I grinned at Carlisle and then dragged Edward up by the hand again, taking him most willingly toward the door.

"Thank you, Carlisle." I suddenly turned my head and grinned at Edward. "What was that you said about challenging Emmett to arm wrestling?"

Carlisle got to his feet to follow us at that, and Edward laughed as we headed downstairs together. We found Emmett at the TV, battling with Jasper at Halo 3. Emmett had tried to make an art out of destroying Jasper's game scores by multiples instead of just the usual kill count, and he played dirty. I stood behind the couch and noticed that Jasper actually had a higher score at this point and decided to take advantage of the opportunity to mess with Emmett.

"Hey Emmett, is Jasper's thumping you again?" I taunted from the spot right behind where he sat on the couch.

Edward smothered a laugh and reached up to cover his grin behind his hand. Carlisle and the rest of the family started to file into the room behind us, and I grinned at them. Alice peeked around Esme and then laughed delightedly as the vision obviously came to her of what I was about to do.

Emmett turned to look at me as I spoke, and Jasper immediately killed him again. I laughed.

"You know if you're feeling low, you could take a break and teach me how to arm wrestle. Edward says you're especially good at it." I couldn't hide the challenge in my voice, though I tried to measure it with a hint of admiration.

Jasper looked up from the game at that point and then dropped the controller and got to his feet. Being the family expert on newborns, I imagine he knew what was going to happen and didn't want to miss it for the world.

"I'm good at all kinds of things, Bella," Emmett agreed with a smirk. I knew his brain knew that I was supposed to be stronger than he was, but I don't think he actually considered that a much smaller girl could beat him at anything physical. Our battles in the clearing hadn't disabused him of the notion since his fighting skills were so much better than mine.

He abandoned his game as Jasper had and reached out to turn off the TV before leading the way out the back door.

"There's this great boulder back here since Esme objects to us playing games like this in the house." Emmett sounded slightly disgusted at the restriction, but he turned to grin at Esme as she reached out to smack him on the arm. "What?"

Edward lifted my hand up to brush his lips over the back of my fingers again, laughing as the family started to file out and gather in the clearing near the river behind the house.

"Thank you," he said, eyes twinkling.

This was mostly because Edward had won our race, but also I knew he owed his brother some humiliation. Emmett had been harassing him lately about our relationship and how far it had or hadn't gone, and we both thought he deserved a little payback.

I walked over to the boulder that was sitting so conveniently just above waist level and grinned across it at Emmett as I released Edward's hand.

"You know, Emmett," I began, adding in a bit of my own fun, "this whole thing isn't according to the Cullen family tradition if we don't make a little wager; is it?"

Everyone looked at me in surprise, and I winked at Alice as she hopped up and down and clapped happily.

"Well, Jasper and I usually place a friendly little wager on lots of things," Emmett confirmed with a confused look on his face.

"Well, how about if I win, you don't bother Edward and me about our relationship anymore? The werewolves are up in my face about my life enough." I wrinkled my nose at the mention of werewolves, and Emmett laughed, shaking his head at me.

"Sure, Bella, but if I win, I get to take Edward aside and give him the talk about the birds and the bees." Emmett cast a loaded grin at Edward, who groaned.

"I have several medical degrees, Emmett," Edward protested. "Trust me, I know the mechanics."

"That's not the point," Emmett insisted. "We're negotiating terms here, Edward. That's what I want when I win."

I grinned over at Edward and tilted my head in question at him. He was the one who was going to have to deal with the fallout if I happened to lose, and I wasn't about to commit to it for him. The look Edward gave me in answer was warm and affectionate, openly expressing his thoughts at the moment.

"I have faith in you, Bella," he said softly, leaning over to kiss me, and then stepped back to make room for the contest.

"All right, how's the best way to do this?" I asked. I'd really never done any arm wrestling other than silly messing around with my mother.

Emmett leaned over on the rock, showing me how to stand and where to place my arm, and I leaned over, matching his posture and position.

"So, we have a bet then, Emmett?" I confirmed, looking him in the eyes as our hands wrapped together over the boulder, and I smiled at him confidently.

"Yeah, sure, can't wait to take him aside and give him the 'talk'." Emmett grinned over at Rosalie, who just shook her head at him.

Carlisle acted as the referee and gave us a countdown to the start. I was truly surprised at how easy it was to hold Emmett's hand straight up in place. He was pushing against me so hard that the boulder started to crumble slightly under our arms, compacting beneath the force. I saw it. I understood the forces involved, but they really mattered little to me. Emmett looked up at me in shock, and I grinned back at him and then quietly pressed his hand all the way down, touching the back of his knuckles to the boulder for the win.

I leapt back right after Carlisle called the winner, and Edward grabbed me around the waist and swung me around in the air for several rotations before he let me down and pulled me into his arms. I had to laugh at the look of joy on his face. He was such a different man than he was that day when he'd pulled me out of biology. He seemed always filled with joy now, and I certainly wasn't any different. I loved it when Edward was happy.

Emmett, though, slammed his fists down on the boulder in a fit of temper, and it cracked right in two. I turned my head to watch and laughed at the look on his face; it wasn't really anger, frustrated mostly, as he stomped away into the grass and kicked at the dirt.

The rest of us laughed at the temper tantrum he was throwing, and Rosalie sighed and rolled her eyes at his antics. Emmett could be big and scary, but in so many ways, he was such a little boy.

My eyes returned to the man who held me in his arms, and I looked up at him and grinned. "Hey, Edward?" I asked, and I knew my happiness filled my eyes.

"What, Bella?" he returned, grinning down at me and dropping a too-quick kiss on my lips.

"Since Carlisle will be talking to Charlie tomorrow, how about you stop by and help me with my homework after dinner?" I offered, grinning up at the man who was the complete center of my existence now.

He laughed and swung me up again before he pulled me back into his arms and hugged me tightly. I wasn't going to break, so I didn't mind when he hugged me so tightly.

"Bella," he said as he smiled down at me. "I love you. Now, let's go hunting before it becomes too late."

I stopped and gaped, unable to do anything but stare at him as he dragged me into the woods. We soon took off running. Edward had never told me he loved me before. I figured that what he felt for me was probably becoming close to that, every action spelled it out to me, but it was incredible to hear him say it outright.

I laughed joyously and took off racing, challenging my love to keep up with me as we sped off into the night.

As we ran, another section from _Sonnets from the Portuguese_ came to me, summing up the feeling in my soul at this moment so well.

_And when I say at need I love thee . . . mark! . . ._

_I love thee—in thy sight I stand transfigured, glorified aright,_

_With conscience of the new rays that proceed_

_Out of my face toward thine._


	15. Chapter 15 Calm Before The Storm

Chapter Fifteen – Calm Before the Storm

A hunt was necessary before we went back to Charlie's house, but it didn't take long. A short time later, we climbed up the tree and into my bedroom window. As had become our habit when returning from our nightly forays, we sat together on my bed and talked.

I was in my favorite spot -- the one I had always enjoyed -- but instead of my books tucked up against me, I had Edward. He would pull me into his arms, and I would lay my head on his shoulder, and we would talk about whatever came to mind.

Edward was particularly absorbed with learning how I thought so that he could figure out what I was thinking. I constantly confounded him, no matter what we talked about, or so he said. No matter what question he asked me, no matter what the subject, I always said something that he didn't expect. He could anticipate some things, but for the most part, I was a closed book to my love when it came to him anticipating what I would say.

Tonight was no different. We were talking about sacrifice and love, and he had just asserted that he loved me more than I loved him. He was wrong of course. He was so very much … _more_ that the thought of him being able to love me more than I did him was just ludicrous.

In looks alone, Edward was an angel: tousled bronze hair, clear honey eyes, a body any man would envy; there was no doubt that he surpassed me. Compared to him, I was plain: mousy brown hair, evil-looking crimson eyes, too petite for any real curves -- womanly curves that I might have grown into if I had continued to mature as a human. Though I didn't offer my lack of a Marilyn Monroe figure as evidence in our discussion, it was too embarrassing.

He refused to agree that any of this had any substance, however, insisting that I was anything but plain and that he was anything but spectacular. This debate ended in laughter and with him looking down at me seriously, his eyes drilling into mine.

"I do love you, Bella, so much more than I can even express. You are the center of my life now. You are everything to me. Do you not know how empty I was before you came along? The sole seventh wheel in a house full of perfectly matched pairs?" His voice was hoarse as he revealed his pain to me.

We'd never talked about this specifically before, but I had seen this. I had watched during those early days as his family always paired off. Emmett and Rosalie were very demonstrative in their relationship, and Emmett's mind was a clear pool to Edward. It was often filled with Rosalie and the uncomfortable details of their bond. Alice and Jasper were far more circumspect, Jasper's empathy allowing him to show more concern in their interactions where others would be affected, but with Alice and Jasper, it was also more than that. Jasper and Alice's connection was so deep, so much a sacred part of them that it wasn't something they felt was for public consumption.

Carlisle and Esme were nearly as sensitive as Alice and Jasper, but like all truly deep relationships, there were thoughts of their love that were nearly always in their heads, foremost in their thoughts. As vampires, our minds could process and think through so much more, so some part of his family's minds were always on their spouses.

How he kept track of so much noise filling his head, how he filtered enough out to even hear details, I was never sure, but he had somehow learned to cope with it. It was such a useful skill to have since so much of our world was in hiding in plain sight. Edward enabled his family to do that so much more successfully. He was able to see when someone suspected something, afterward they would quietly disappear.

I knew they moved a lot, the only way to hide that no one was aging. I was not looking forward to this fact, hoping that we would be able to linger near Charlie and visit Renee for at least ten more years.

I reached up to touch his face as his pained words brushed across me. Did I know the real depth of his loneliness? As I looked up into his face, I smiled slightly.

"You know, I was sitting here the night before I started school, and I was reading that book of poems." I gestured with my head to the book sitting on top of the stack on my desk.

"Ah, _Sonnets from the Portuguese_." He smiled down at me. "You are a closet romantic."

"There is nothing closet about it," I laughed softly, still careful not to wake Charlie. "But I read one of her sonnets that described that pain; it felt so right to me. I felt like I would be alone forever."

He paused a moment as though trying to recall which of the sonnets in that book would describe such loss. Most of those poems were love poems about the power of the love and the attachment that the author felt for her poet husband. Then Edward smiled, looking back down at me. He'd remembered the stanza, pulling it from the book with his perfect memory.

"Hush, call no echo up in further proof/ Of desolation! there's a voice within/ That weeps . . . as thou must sing . . . alone, aloof," Edward recited to me softly, and I smiled back at him.

"It felt so true, so perfect. Though I have to say, a couple of days later, I no longer felt that way." I no longer felt so alone, so isolated.

"That's because I have not allowed you many moments alone since I discovered you," he admitted, brushing his fingertip across my cheekbone.

"Classes at school we don't share, Charlie's time, the time it takes for you to run home and get ready for school," I calculated then grinned at him. "Nope, not a lot of alone time. I don't mind, though. That complete loneliness fled at first sight of you."

Suddenly, I gasped realizing what I was saying, and I groaned and buried my face in his shirt. He laughed and refused to allow me to hide, tipping my face up with a gentle finger.

"Bella, are you saying that you developed a thing for me from the first moment you saw my face in that school cafeteria?" He was terribly amused by the idea, and I stuck my tongue out at him, refusing to admit to it verbally, again.

"Well, I had seen you all day long through the eyes of the other students. They were so absorbed in you, fascinated. Especially Mike. Even before I knew you and what you would mean to me, I wanted to kill him for his thoughts. He really is a dirty little boy." Edward was very direct about how much he disliked Mike, especially after the confrontation.

"He hasn't stopped, you know." Edward looked away for a moment then back into my face. "He still fantasizes about you almost constantly. I can hardly blame him, though. He's only human."

His last statement was a bit caustic, and I had to laugh. reaching up to place both hands on each side of his head, I leaned over to press my nose gently against his.

"Yes, but I'm not," I reminded him gently. "Mike would try to kiss me, and I'd be sinking my teeth..." I trailed off shivering at the thought. I was not even able to say it, but Edward fully understood.

"I wouldn't mind so much if you drained him dry, accidentally, of course. But I know how much it would hurt you to lose control like that. I don't want that for you, Bella." Edward's tone was far too serious again. "You are so good, every part of you. I don't want you to become the monster that I am. I love you so deeply that I would leave if I were strong enough. Give you the chance to be with someone who is good, someone with a soul as beautiful as yours."

I blinked, staring into his sad face. My mind was a bit more sluggish in processing this last bit of information. I knew that he'd gone "off the wagon" for some years, leaving Carlisle and hunting the scum of society. He had explained that he thought he was doing the entire world a favor by eliminating such terrible people. The weight of even those kills, however, weighed heavily on his heart. Edward thought he'd lost his soul in those painful years, but I knew better.

"I _have_ found someone whose soul matches mine, Edward," I said through gritted teeth, still holding his head between my hands. "He's right here, right in my hands, and I'm not ever letting go. If you run from me, from this wonderful thing between us, I will Hunt. You. Down." The last three words were emphasized, each said quite separately.

My words were a promise, and I knew he felt it. I had given up so much adjusting to this life. He was the best part of it, the center of my world just as he insisted I was the center of his.

"You are it, Edward. There will never be anyone else for me." I leaned in to kiss him softly as my words trailed off, and for the first time since the night of the werewolf meeting, he met my lips eagerly, wrapping his arms around me tightly.

The kiss was brief but full of the absolute devotion that we both felt. Edward was my everything now. I would live without Charlie and Renee when it was time to move on, but I could not live without Edward. As long as he was with me, we could go anywhere, do anything. He was mine and I was his until the end of time. Beside him was the only place I wanted to be. To me, that was heaven.

"Edward," I said, trying to draw his attention. "Remember when we talked about me burying that box?" We hadn't spoken about it since I told him I had it, but I wanted him, at least, to open it, to slice into the package and see if he knew the man who had killed me. I was looking for avoidance more than retribution.

He nodded, giving me a curious look.

"Let's open it tonight. I want to know if you know him," I admitted with some reticence.

He nodded finally after a moment and followed me out the window. It didn't take us long to find. With absolutely perfect memory, I knew exactly where I'd buried it. My vampire claws dug through the ground like it was water, so it didn't take very long to dig up. I hadn't gone very deep. When I had the box in my hand, I walked over to a nearby tree and leaned against it, holding the box in front of me.

Edward came over to join me, looking at the little package.

"Are you sure you want to do this, Bella?" he asked me gently. I responded with a nod.

"Yes." I gave him a smile and opened the box, revealing the sealed plastic bundle within. I took it out, leaving the seal in place and handed it to him. "Here, you can open it," I offered, leaning back on the tree as I watched him.

He looked at the plastic and ripped the end off with one slash of his nails. I held my breath carefully. I remembered what it smelled like and I didn't need the refresher. Edward took a deep breath and jolted in surprise, gasping in pain.

"Edward?" His reaction shocked me. I knew the scent of human blood was pungent, but this was stronger than the normal reaction, and Edward was quite practiced.

"Bella," he finally gasped out, curling his fingers around the fabric of the torn shirt as he pulled it out. "It is a very good thing you didn't move here as a human. That scent..." He trailed off, having difficulty with expressing himself, and he looked back up at me.

"I wouldn't have been able to keep myself from killing you," he finally admitted. "Even though it's faded with time and the death of the cells, this is the sweetest blood I have ever smelled. You would have been irresistible."

There was a hint of regret in his expression, but it was quickly covered with self-hatred. "My mate. I would have ended your life within moments of inhaling your scent." The words were forced as though he was desperately reluctant to admit this weakness.

I reached out to touch his hand, wanting to stop this spiral into self-loathing. I took a careful breath to give me a second to gather together just what I wanted to say. "Edward, it didn't happen. I was changed when I came here, and you protected me."

He gave me a weak smile before lifting the t-shirt to inhale again. He was trying to accomplish what we came here to do even though being around the scent of my old blood was difficult for him.

"It's hard for me to get past the smell of your blood, but I can detect the scent of one vampire right on the fabric nothing of a second. She never touched you?"

"Not while I was conscious," I said quietly, nodding.

"Ah, no, it isn't familiar to me, Bella," he said with some disappointment. He knew that I wanted to be able to identify who had done this to me. "I'm sorry."

With some reluctance and one last inhale of the blood on the fabric, he tucked it back into the plastic and then into the box.

"I'll take it home with me when I go change for school and see if someone else recognizes it. Jasper and Carlisle know the most vampires," he set the box back into the hole again and covered it with some dirt until it was time for him to head home, it wasn't something either of us wanted to deal with at Charlie's.

"Edward?" I didn't really know how to ask this, but it was suddenly important for me to know. "Are there people whose blood calls to us more strongly than others? People who cannot be resisted?"

Edward glanced over at the box then back at me and he shrugged. "I didn't think so, Bella, but it seems that there are. I'll ask about that, too."

"Dear heaven, Edward, what if my mother had smelled like that to me?" I stood there nervously, aware that I was as close to shock as I'd been in a long time.

He just shook his head and took me into his arms again, holding me.

"It cannot be that common, Bella," he said softly into my hair. "I am so much older than you, and this is the first I've ever been near an aroma that irresistible. I'll find out what I can. Let's get you back to your house so Charlie doesn't worry."

As we returned to my room and settled into our usual spots, I tried to think of something to distract me from this new threat. Suddenly, I remembered something that he'd promised to explain later but kept avoiding.

"Edward," I started, giving him a severe look. I wasn't letting him get away this time. "Remember that kiss in the clearing before Carlisle and I went to meet the werewolves?"

His expression grew wary, and he just nodded.

"Want to explain that to me? You've been avoiding answering me."

"Oh, that." He looked a bit sheepish. "Bella, you know that I have been keeping you at arm's length to a degree. It's just, well, a bit embarrassing."

I just watched him, silently waiting. He _wasn't_ getting out of this explanation.

"Well, it's just so easy to get carried away when I'm with you," he spoke slowly as though he were trying to find the best way possible to explain this to me. "There are some things that I simply think should wait just a bit longer. We shouldn't rush into the physical side of our relationship."

I blinked at that and looked down at my hands as I curled them together repeatedly.

"Some feelings and urges run a bit stronger as vampires, especially with our mates," he continued softly. "I just want our relationship to progress as we want it to, not because we get caught up in the moment."

He was still holding something back; I could tell. By this time, however, I was so embarrassed that I could only nod mutely. I could understand his reluctance to discuss the physical aspects of our relationship, I certainly wasn't comfortable talking about that sort of thing either. He tugged on my hand and drew it up to his lips to press a kiss to my skin.

"But I hope that you know that whatever you're feeling, it is absolutely mutual. I love you, Bella, and I'll always want to be with you," he said softly, his lips brushing my skin. I smiled back at him.

Right there, right then, it was good to be me.

*******

During school the next day, we found out that Carlisle had been able to speak with Charlie about Edward and me. Carlisle had called Edward on his cell phone at lunch to impart the good news. I wouldn't have to hide my relationship with Edward from my father anymore. Edward would be able to spend more time at the house. There would be even less time apart from him. I never wanted to be apart from him.

I was downright giddy for the rest of the day, clinging to Edward's hand as he walked me to my classes and reaching up to press ecstatic kisses on his pleased face whenever I could. I had never been so publicly demonstrative with him before, and he was disturbingly delighted by it.

Throughout the rest of the day, he beamed with satisfaction. I gave him a suspicious look on our way to Biology.

"Mike," he said smugly by way of explanation. "You have always been so quiet and distant at school that he thought he still had a chance. He's upset that you're showing me so much attention."

I laughed. Edward was enjoying making Mike jealous? We sat down at our shared table when we arrived in the classroom. I moved my books off to the side away from Edward so I could sit closer to him.

"I'm not that much more affectionate," I tried to defend, but he only laughed at the look on my face. I propped my head in one hand -- an old habit I'd continued. "You are enjoying his pain far too much, Edward Cullen."

I had a hard time believing that Mike was really so oblivious. How could he have missed just how close he had come to dying? I noticed human reactions to Jasper. They knew to be afraid of him. There was something about him that always bordered on feral when he was around humans. I knew that there had to have been some of that in my expression that day after gym.

"He deserves it. Even Jessica doesn't deserve to have to put up with him, but she seems to want him anyway." Edward shook his head, completely baffled, and I laughed again, enjoying this simple time with him.

Several heads turned our way at my laughter, but I ignored them and turned my seat so that I could snuggle into Edward's side. This was the one place that I felt truly at peace: Edward's arms.

After school that day, Edward came home with me as he always did, but he didn't rise from his chair when the time came that he usually left. I heard Charlie's cruiser coming closer along the street and smiled at Edward as I started to set three dishes on the table.

"You sure you want to give up the sneaking around? That does have its merits, too, you know," I teased him gently since I knew that he was really looking forward to not having to hide anymore.

"Oh, I still get to sneak around with you every night." He grinned at me. "So I'm keeping the good parts and getting others that are better." He looked so smug again that I couldn't stop laughing whenever I saw his face.

"All right, all right. You know, I'm not sure how to describe you to Charlie. _Boyfriend_ sounds so trite and temporary. You are so much more than that." I couldn't hide my nervousness.

Edward rose from his spot and walked over to kiss me gently.

"I know, Bella. I feel the same. But _boyfriend_ is a term that Charlie will understand." He grinned. "If you start talking about following me around for eternity, Charlie might decide that my family has started a cult and you're not allowed around us anymore."

I smiled at him. He was trying to cheer me up and make me less nervous. I was glad that Charlie wasn't as perceptive as Renee when it came to things like this. Renee would see right through me in an instant. She would know that what I felt for Edward was so much more than I admitted.

Just then, Charlie unlocked the door and walked into the house, hollering out a greeting as he hung up his gun and then sauntered into the kitchen. He didn't look at all surprised to see Edward there. His eyes narrowed at me, and I just smiled at him sheepishly.

"Dad, this is Edward Cullen, Alice's brother. Edward, this is my father, Charlie." Still an old fashioned guy, my dad liked the proper introductions.

"Edward," Charlie greeted with a cold look at Edward, who had been back in the chair when he walked in the room, though Edward had risen to greet my father.

"Chief Swan," Edward said, returning the greeting.

I rolled my eyes. Men. Were they really standing there posturing at each other?

"Edward is my lab partner in Biology, Dad," I explained. "We've got a test coming up, and I thought we might study together after dinner if that's okay with you."

Charlie shot Edward a suspicious look and glanced down at the table set for three before he looked at me, sighed then settled into his chair.

"I take it you're staying for dinner then, Edward?" Charlie asked as he shifted his weight to get comfortable. Edward helped me gather together the rest of dinner and then sat when I did.

"If that's acceptable, sir." Edward offered Charlie the chance to send him home, though I knew it was hard for him if only to be polite.

"Yeah, sure," Charlie agreed reluctantly and settled into his favorite spot.

Tonight, dinner was Grandma Swan's beef stroganoff. I was buttering Charlie up, tempting him to be nice to Edward, and everyone in the room knew it. It must have worked, at least a bit. Throughout dinner, Charlie didn't make one snarky comment about Edward being there.

Charlie finished his meal before wandering toward the living room just as the doorbell rang. I sighed. _There be werewolves here_, I thought with a sigh as I got up to clean the kitchen. Ever the gentleman, Edward reached for several dishes on the table, helping me with the clean up.

Jacob bounded in moments later, casting a shocked look at me when he saw Edward helping me clear away the remnants of dinner. I smiled back at him.

"Jake, meet Edward. Edward, this is Jake. He's a friend," I clarified as though Edward didn't already know how I felt about Jacob.

"It's very nice to meet you, Jake," Edward nodded politely as he reached for the last of the dinner dishes on the table.

"Edward and I have a test in Biology tomorrow and we need to study tonight," I said to Jacob for my father's benefit since I knew both he and Billy were listening from the other room.

"Ah, cool. I just have a bit of math homework tonight," Jacob said as he slumped down into the chair Charlie had recently vacated. "Good thing it's not more. I'm not feeling so well tonight. Tried to get my dad to leave me home, but he insisted that we be here. Said I shouldn't get behind on my homework or something."

I rolled my eyes as I turned to rinse the dishes in the sink. Edward and I knew why Billy wasn't going to back down about the visit. He couldn't stand to leave me unsupervised and was checking to make sure I hadn't killed Charlie. This was the uncomfortable daily reminder that "the wolves are watching" -- melodramatic drivel. I wanted to tell the Quileutes to go _watch_ themselves; I was just fine. Besides, if I wanted to kill Charlie, there was nothing Billy could do to stop me even if he were present for it.

Jacob slumped even further in the chair and set his head down on the table, folding his arms under his head. I blinked in astonishment. Jacob was never like this. Usually, he was almost like a person-sized sun irrepressibly spinning around Charlie's house. I probably shouldn't have, but I reached out to touch his forehead and blinked, looking up at Edward in open shock.

"He's burning up." I looked back down as Jacob grabbed my cold hand and held it against his blistering hot skin.

"Wow, Bella, have you been playing in the freezer?" He was surprised at my temperature but then Jacob surprised me like he always did. "That feels great. You should play in the freezer all the time if you'll let me use your hand like an ice pack."

Edward leaned forward and set a finger next to mine in a manner that would hide it as my touch instead of his. He removed it quickly, giving me a short nod as he returned to his chair and spread his Biology book on the table in front of him.

"Looks like Jacob will soon join the pack," Edward confirmed in a whisper that was too low for human ears. For a second, his eyes focused on Jacob with a hint of worry. "You'd better go clue Billy in. You don't want Jacob _here_ when it happens."

I jumped to my feet as I pulled my hand back, patting Jacob on the shoulder in a gesture that I hoped was reassuring.

"You just rest, Jake. I'll let your Dad know that you're probably coming down with something." I turned and strode into the living room, my steps falling just a bit harder on the floor as I did when I wanted someone to hear that I was coming.

"Hey, Billy," I said when I peeked my head around the corner and smiled at him. "Jake's looking pretty bad; he's burning up. Maybe you should come check his temperature or something." I gave Billy a significant look when Charlie wouldn't notice then I turned and walked back to the kitchen.

I heard Billy tell Charlie that he didn't think Jacob was very sick or they wouldn't have come. Jake was still face-down on the table, arms curled around his math book, and he was covered in sweat.

Billy rolled in behind me, taking one look at his son before rolling over and putting a hand to his head.

"He's fine," Billy said, giving Edward a long, considering look.

"He's not," I said, shifting forward to look long and hard at Billy. I leaned close enough to whisper to him, "You do not want him changing here in front of Charlie. Get him home, Billy. Charlie is safe from me, and you know it."

Right now, I was less risk to Charlie than an unpredictable werewolf who was about to transform for the first time. If Jacob was going to destroy a house, I didn't want it to be mine. It was imperative to both me and _them_ that Charlie remained in the dark.

Billy returned my steady look for a long moment before he reached over to pat his son on the shoulder. He turned and wheeled toward the door before he spoke again.

"Come on, Jacob, let's get you home. You'll be more comfortable resting there," Billy said before he left the room to explain to Charlie that they were leaving.

"Sorry, Bells," Jacob tilted his head off the book and looked at me. "I hate to bail on you, but I really feel horrible. I should probably be home."

It was cute, but I was the last person he owed excuses or apologies. I watched as he drew himself to his feet, manifesting to my perfect eyes the inches he'd grown in the last couple of weeks.

"Don't worry about it, Jacob. Go home and get feeling better." I smiled and leaned over to hug him. Edward stiffened and braced himself probably to drag me out of Jacob's arms if he shifted suddenly. "And Jake? I want you to know that, no matter what happens, you're always welcome here. I want to still be your friend."

This last was said almost too softly for Jacob to hear, and Edward gave me a sharp look. I ignored it as I guided Jacob gently out of the kitchen and toward the front door. Charlie was helping Billy roll his wheelchair down the front stairs to the car they'd borrowed. I would have offered to drive them home, but I wasn't allowed on the reservation. Instead, I stood by the front door while Charlie settled both of them into the car. Edward came to stand beside me, wrapping an arm around my waist, and I leaned into him.

"You're having a hard time with this, aren't you?" he said softly into my ear as I watched Jacob fold himself into the driver's seat and then say goodbye to Charlie.

"Yeah," I admitted, looking up at him. "I'm afraid he won't want to hang around anymore once he's changed. He'll hate me then."

I looked back as they started to pull away, and Edward took a step back as Charlie waved to the retreating car. It would not be good if Charlie noticed we were too familiar already.

"I don't think anyone could seriously hate you, Bella," he said gently before we walked back into the kitchen, letting Charlie close the front door.

I laid my Biology notes on the table next to Edward's, making it look as though we were studying for the test just as we'd told Charlie. I dropped into the chair and just shrugged, looking up at Edward as he sat next to me.

"Werewolves hate vampires, Edward." My response was far too soft for Charlie to hear, and my eyes met his.

Edward reached over to close my hand in his, placing a gentlemanly kiss on the back of it before he reluctantly released me. He turned his attention immediately to the Biology book just as Charlie came into the room on the pretense of getting another beer.

Refreshment obtained, Charlie leaned against the countertop. He stood there watching as we organized our notes before starting to go over the review questions. Edward did his best to ignore my father, but he knew _exactly_ what my old man was thinking. I finally looked up at him, leaning there drinking his beer, and I gave him an irritated look.

"Dad, do you have to hover?" I finally blurted out, leaning back in my chair.

He wasn't usually the hovering type; in fact, he'd never done it with me before. It was something I had appreciated about him previously. Charlie tried to look innocent, but there was too much protective father in his face for me to believe it.

"I can't get any studying done if you're going to stand there glowering," I pointed out to him and then got up to gently push him out of the room. "Besides, you're missing the game."

That was enough to get my overprotective dad moving. Edward looked up at me, amused, as I literally pushed Charlie from the room. He was entertained by Charlie's reaction. He tried his best to hide it from me, but I knew him too well for that.

After a minute, I returned, my father settled safely in the other room but where he could still hear the usual noises from the kitchen. I dropped into my chair once again and frowned at Edward before I looked at the next review question. It was unneeded, this focus on homework, but it made Charlie feel like everything was normal. Besides, now study time _was_ time with Edward, which was always a good thing.


	16. Chapter 16 The Baseball Game

**Author's Notes:**

**Sorry about the review replies. I've been working on several different projects and had to travel out of town unexpectedly and so haven't had time to answer more than 1 or 2 reviews out of them all. I'll try to be better at it, but I also have my children's birthdays coming up, so no promises until that's all over with.**

**Many thanks to mcsc2008 and EmilyLinne for their beta work. They are the permanent betas on this story and they're doing a great job.**

Chapter Sixteen – The Baseball Game

As the next few days passed, I tried not to think at all about Jacob and what he must be going through. I could imagine that I did understand the shock that Jacob must be experiencing. He couldn't be happy about everyone keeping him in the dark for so long. Part of me hoped that he didn't hate me once he had shifted, but I didn't hold out hope for the miracle that he might still want to be friends. I knew Edward noticed when I worried about Jacob. It made him upset to see me sad, so I tried to hide how I was feeling to keep that stricken look from his eyes.

Spring was slowly coming to the moist Olympic Peninsula and that meant lots of rain. Storms came on and off, but it was mostly rain without the additional fireworks of thunder and lightning. One evening, Alice showed up while Edward and I were lounging quietly on the couch in his room, reading poetry aloud to each other.

"There's going to be one heck of a storm tonight," she said as she thrust her head into the doorway, Jasper appearing behind her.

A slow smile spread across Edward's face, and he glanced from Jasper to Alice. I could see him focus on the expectant look on Jasper's face before he nodded.

"You bet so long as Bella wants to come along," he answered their unspoken question, and I looked up at him in confusion.

"Remember when I told you that we play baseball on stormy nights in the large clearing we showed you the night of the treaty meeting?" The anticipation in Edward's eyes was tempting.

"You want to play baseball tonight, Alice?" I turned my attention to the pair in the doorway, and they beamed at me, nodding.

"I don't really know how to play, but I'll go and watch if you like." I turned to look at Edward and his subsequent smile was delighted. I started to wonder how many things he hid his interest in just because he thought it wouldn't appeal to me.

"Yay!" Alice squealed, clapping her hands together and hopping up and down on her toes. "The first claps of thunder will start at 6:43 tonight."

She turned on her heel and hopped on Jasper's back like an overenthusiastic little monkey. He grinned up at her and then they both left, darting out of the room with a speed that I would have missed had I been human. They had such a cute relationship that it made me smile, but I wasn't jealous. I loved what I had with Edward.

Thinking of Edward, my attention returned to him as I set down the book I had been reading from. He was still smiling at me joyfully. He probably thought I was humoring him, but he was wrong. I really wanted to see their version of baseball -- vampire baseball.

"I guess we're playing baseball." I leaned over and dropped a kiss on his nose, smiling as he wrinkled it up and then dragged me onto his lap for a snuggle. "We should stop at the house first and let Charlie know we're going out, in case I'm home late. Besides, he likes it when I let him be the involved father."

Edward nodded once and then lifted me up into his arms. He didn't let me go as he stood walked out of the room and down the hall toward the stairs. I squealed and wriggled when he didn't let me down, trying to get free. He must not have been ready to let me go quite yet because he completely ignored my wriggles and protests. He was in a great mood, deliriously happy to share this with me.

"Edward, put me down. I can walk, you know," I protested again, wriggling to encourage him to put me down.

"I know, but I like to carry you." He smiled back at me, but at the bottom of the stairs, finally set me back on my feet. I grinned back at him and then looked around in surprise at the way the house was in a sudden uproar. The main level of the house was in a flurry of activity.

Rosalie was trying to find her baseball outfit but couldn't because Alice had stolen it. The interfering elf had stolen it because she had designed a new one and wouldn't let Rosalie wear the old one. Emmett couldn't find the bat he preferred because Jasper had hidden it after their last game. Edward explained that this was in retaliation for a dirty trick Emmett'd played on Alice during that game.

Esme was dressed and ready, an oasis of calm amongst the storm. She was in the process of lowering a baseball cap over her thick caramel-colored hair with a broad smile on her lips. I let go of Edward long enough to walk over and give her a hug and then returned so we could head back to Charlie's.

"Hurry back," Esme called out as we headed out the front door. "The storm isn't going to last nearly long enough."

I was amused by her reminder. It looked like the entire Cullen family enjoyed playing baseball together. I wondered if my new abilities would allow me to play without embarrassing myself. Would I be just as much of a klutz as I had been, or would I slide right into it with vampiric grace? I hoped it would be the latter rather than the former, but some part of me still expected that I'd be horrible at all things physical.

The way Edward drove, it didn't take long to get back to Charlie's, and I slammed into the house with loud abandon as I tended to do when Charlie was home. My actions weren't violent compared to how a human moved, but louder and more noisier than a vampire.

"Hey, Dad, I might be out late tonight." I stuck my head around the corner into the living room where he sat watching TV. "I'm going to play baseball with Edward's family." I left Edward walking into the room as I turned and ran upstairs to change.

As I started to get ready, I heard Charlie rise from his chair to greet Edward. He often did things like that as though it was uncomfortable for him to be at a disadvantage when Edward was in the room.

"You're really getting her to play baseball?" I heard my father ask with the sound of skepticism ripe in his voice.

"It seems so, sir." Charlie still refused to allow Edward to address him less formally. He insisted on keeping distance between them even when he insisted everyone else call him Charlie.

"Well, there might be hope for you yet," Charlie admitted hesitantly. I knew him well enough to follow his thinking. If Edward could get me to be involved with sports, Charlie could find something redeemable about our relationship.

I listened at the door while they talked about the upcoming spring season for the Mariners, and I laughed softly at the enthusiasm Charlie was putting into the discussion. Edward seemed just as interested. I wondered if baseball was one of those things that they could share even if it wasn't something I was all that interested in.

"Hurry up and rescue me from your father, Bella," Edward admonished in a low voice no human could hear, prompting me to giggle in response.

He knew I'd been spying on them. We were getting short on time, though, so I turned to throw on some comfortable clothes that I didn't mind covering in mud. I was dressed and ready too quickly even after my spying, but I figured that Charlie would just chalk it up to excitement of going out with my boyfriend. I headed down the stairs at a slow pace that I thought would look fast and excited for a human. I deliberately tripped on the last step. Edward, figuring something like this was coming, was right there to catch me.

I'd taken to tripping at random times and not always when there were humans watching. It had become a game between us to see if Edward could keep up with Klutzy-Bella. I never hit the pavement, my own reflexes too good for that, but he didn't always catch me either. I was always delighted when he missed and enjoyed teasing him about it. I loved when he caught me, too. He would wrap me up in his arms and hug me tightly. Tonight, with Charlie watching, he just gently steadied me and then took a step back.

Charlie watched my antics with an amused look, shaking his head as he sipped at his beer. "You're getting pretty good at anticipating her," Charlie observed, appreciating another thing about Edward tonight. Charlie had noticed that Edward never let me fall if he could stop it but often caught me when he couldn't.

"She's nearly always pitching into the floor headfirst, sir," Edward acknowledged. I did try to keep him on his toes. "It's just a matter of always expecting it."

"Humph," my father responded with grudging approval, and then he turned to go back to his chair and his game. "Just keep her safe while you're playing baseball. With her luck, the ball would hit her right in the face."

My father knew me too well. That is exactly what would have happened when I was human. I smirked at Edward as he helped me back into the bulky parka that Charlie would expect me to wear. "He's right; I would get hit right in the face."

A short time later, we were back in Edward's car and on our way back to the Cullen house before running directly to the clearing. The rest of the Cullens were already there, waiting for the storm to get noisy. The moment of truth would be when the thunder would kick in to mask the sound of their playing, according to Edward.

When we got there, Esme came forward to meet us as we strode into the meadow. I grinned and hugged her tightly. She was always so sweet and affectionate. I was more than willing to give her as many hugs as she wanted.

"We're on time!" I pointed out to her with a smile. "The noise hasn't started yet."

Esme laughed as I reminded her of her earlier admonition. She then gestured me to join her at home plate and as I did, I noticed Carlisle out in the field marking the rest of the bases. They were placed much farther apart than in any regulation game, and I could guess the mess it would make if vampires tried to stay within the human confines of the basic game. It would be a challenge not to run into each other constantly.

"I thought that you would play umpire if you didn't mind, Bella," Esme said as she drew me gently away from Edward. He grinned at me before he ran to the pitcher's mound to greet Alice.

Esme and I stopped at the home plate and I looked at the pile of bats to the side. They were all steel bats, not a wooden one to be found. It shouldn't have surprised me. Wooden bats would not survive long with the impacts this group was likely to dish out. Carlisle finished the bases and returned into the infield with a broad smile.

"Is everyone ready?" he asked as the rest of the family started to take their places.

Esme then turned to look at me as she crouched down as the catcher. There were no mitts either. They wouldn't need them with rock hard vampire skin.

"Now, don't let them get away with anything, Bella," she admonished me. "They're terrible cheaters."

I grinned back at her in response. I wouldn't be at all surprised at the cheating this group could come up with. Emmett would want to win at any cost, and Jasper would always be trying to make sure that Emmett didn't get away with too much.

"Of course." I crouched behind Esme, leaning forward as Rosalie stepped up to bat.

"I wouldn't imagine this group walks on a ball very often," I observed wryly as I watched Rosalie swing her bat.

"Oh no, Bella. There is no walking in this game. If you don't hit the ball, it's a strike." Her eyes were twinkling at me as she answered.

Rosalie stepped into the area beside the base and waited. Alice, who was on the pitcher's mound looked up at the sky. Just as the lightning struck, she threw her body into the windup, and the ball went flying toward Esme.

Rose struck the ball hard and the crack resounded just as the thunder struck. She took off toward first base. I waited and watched. I knew how Edward ran, I had tested him myself, and he took off after Rosalie's ball as she rounded the bases. My eyes focused on the trees where the ball and Edward had disappeared.

Edward went flying into the air, leapfrogging off a tree as he caught the ball and started running toward us again. He was laughing in delight and I threw my head back, giggling as I called the play.

"Out!"

Rosalie glared at me as Jasper stepped up to take his turn at bat. Rose was still openly hostile, and I wondered if that would ever change.

Jasper stepped up to the plate, his lithe body ready for the ball, and smiled at his wife as she started the windup, laughing as he tried to anticipate her. A fraction of a second later, the ball went flying again. Jasper was able to hit it even harder than Rosalie, popping it into the air as both Edward and Emmett went for the catch at the same time. They collided instead of catching the ball and it hit a tree and rebounded back toward the field. The ball went flying, and Jasper headed for first base as Edward caught up the ball and threw it to Carlisle in the infield. They weren't fast enough, however, and Jasper was able to make it to second base.

The game continued, fast and hard. Everyone seemed to be having a good time, even me. I didn't play, getting a feel for the game and happy to be the umpire of the day. I thought that I'd be right there in the thick of it during the next storm. I could play this game.

As each person took their turn at bat, the positions in the field would rotate, giving everyone a turn to hit the ball. Edward's turn came up before long, and as he lifted the bat, ready to hit the ball, Alice stopped cold. Her eyes unfocused as she became completely engrossed in the vision that she was seeing. Edward froze in front of me, his own focus on Alice's vision as it played out in her head.

"What is it?" I asked him as I stepped forward, adjusting the hat Emmett had slammed down on my head when it was his turn at bat.

Esme stepped closer to us, a concerned look on her face as she waited for the answer.

"I'm sorry," Alice said softly, directing her eyes on Edward. "I didn't see it. They weren't coming here until they heard us playing."

Edward just shook his head, acknowledging that Alice couldn't anticipate everything.

"What's up, Edward?" I finally demanded as the entire family came out of the field to gather around.

"A coven of vampires. Three." Edward turned to look at me. "One is dark-skinned with braided hair, another is a red-haired female, and the third is a blond man."

Edward was watching me carefully, his eyes filled with worry. "From your description, it is likely the two you met in Phoenix, and they have picked up another companion, Bella," he warned me.

I froze, staring back at him.

"Here? Did they come here to find me?" I had worried about that since my attack that my mom or dad or Phil could be in danger from what had happened to me or those who'd done it to me.

"I don't know, Bella. From Alice's vision, it seems they'll recognize you." Edward pulled me close to him and wrapped his arms around me after dropping the baseball bat to the ground.

"Can you run?" Carlisle asked as he wrapped an arm around Esme.

"Alice?" Edward turned to look at his sister as she watched the coming vision as Edward made the decision to run, and she gasped in horror at the options that played out. "What if we meet them here?"

"They'll go after Charlie if we run. That's who they're actually hunting now," he said quietly. "He can't find you by his usual ways, so he's going after Charlie to draw you in. If we leave, we can't save him. If we stay, we'll have other options. They must have made a stop at your school down in Phoenix or something, Bella, they know just where to find him."

"Then we do what we have to in order to protect Charlie," I said, resolved as I looked up at Edward.

He nodded at the look on my face and lifted his head to look up and around at his family, meeting the eyes of each one until he reached Carlisle.

"Carlisle, how do you want this to play out?" Edward asked him quickly and quietly. "They'll be in hearing range shortly."

"We'll try to talk first," Carlisle said. "She's not alone and helpless here like she was in Phoenix."

Carlisle's eyes met mine, and I could see the resolve in him as well.

"We won't let them hurt you or your family, Bella," Carlisle promised me with a small smile and then gestured to the rest of the family.

We could hear their footfalls now as they ran toward the clearing and Carlisle took his place at the front, the rest of the family fanning out, leaving Edward and me at the back. Edward stood right beside me, close enough to give me some comfort, though I knew he was absolutely ready to defend me should it be necessary. He seemed to have faith in Carlisle's negotiation skills, and considering how often Jasper messed with me when I needed it, I knew he wouldn't be shy about controlling the moods of everyone involved in this kind of situation. I knew how hard it was to try to avoid Jasper's influence especially if you weren't aware what he was doing.

Alice reached back to touch my arm gently in reassurance as the trio neared the last of the trees that ringed the meadow and then ran into the open space before us. As they saw what a large group we were, they slowed, approaching at a less aggressive pace.

My eyes, bright crimson now and clear of the obstruction of the contacts, were able to see everything in the clarity of vampire vision. I saw for the first time, the true image of the man who attacked me. He really wasn't as attractive as I remember thinking he had been. He certainly didn't compare in any way to Edward; there was no way to measure up.

His hair was a dirty blond, a color that woman all over the world paid millions of dollars to hide. His eyes were the deep burgundy of a vampire who lived on human blood but was getting hungry, and his features were entirely unremarkable for a vampire.

The woman was the same one I remembered and she was nearly as beautiful as I remembered her being. She was all that he was not: skin of alabaster smoothness with features of absolute refinement. Her hair was a halo of bright flame about her head.

Their companion was by far the most striking of the trio. The darker sheen of his skin revealed that he had been quite dark in his human life. His hair draped in tiny, long braids down to the middle of his back. His clothes were ratty and worn, a stark contrast to the near-perfection of his features and his creamy skin.

The third man was the first to approach. He was almost hesitant in his movements as though he was afraid of provoking so large a coven.

"Hello," the darker one greeted, the other two remaining in the back as they assessed us as a group. "I am Laurent, and my companions are James and Victoria."

As Laurent gestured behind him, my eyes followed and narrowed in on James. I finally had a name for the man who had caused so much havoc in my life. Now, we only had to find out just how much more he intended to create. I didn't want him hurting my family, either of them.

Carlisle stepped forward at the introductions and proceeded to introduce us in pairs.

"This is my family," the Cullen patriarch began as he gestured with his hand. "My wife Esme and then our children: Emmett and Rosalie, Jasper and Alice, and Edward and Bella."

I knew the moment that James noticed me. I was waiting for it. My eyes met his and I could see the recognition dawn. He had _not_ known that I was going to be there. I hoped that it threw him off balance, swinging the odds favorably in our direction.

Edward stiffened and stepped forward slightly away from me; my attention returned to him quickly. He was glaring back at James, teeth bared and body stiff with anger. I glanced back to the new vampires. James' attention had shifted from me to Edward and then the rest of the group. I could see the knowledge hit him that if he wanted me right now, he was going to have to fight his way through a strong and large coven to get me.

Laurent seemed oblivious to the by-play for the first little while, continuing his discussion with Carlisle almost pleasantly. "You live here in a permanent residence?" Laurent was asking Carlisle as my attention returned to their discussion.

"Yes," Carlisle confirmed. "We ask that you do not hunt in the area. It would be most awkward for us should you do so."

"Of course not," Laurent agreed readily, and I saw James and Victoria snap their heads toward him in obvious surprise. "We heard the game and thought we would come and join you since we were in the area."

That explained why Alice didn't see them. They had just made the decision to come this way. I was grateful for that. It meant that they had been distracted from finding my father.

"We were just finishing with our game. I am sorry that you missed it," Carlisle was saying now, responding to Edward's slight shake of the head. There would not be peace with between our groups; James wasn't interested in talking this out.

James and Victoria took a step back and then turned and ran off the way they had come with no word or warning. They didn't hesitate at all about leaving Laurent to the mercy of a large and unknown coven.

"If you would like, you can accompany us to our home, and we can discuss how it is we keep a permanent residence," Carlisle offered politely to the sole remaining vampire after he watched his companions leave without him.

Laurent nodded politely at the offer as Carlisle tilted his head in our direction.

"Emmett, Alice, why don't you go with Edward and Bella?" he suggested blithely as though he weren't assigning a protection detail. We all knew that was exactly what it was.

My mind was full with all the implications of these new events. I was in danger again, more, I thought, than I had been before. Before, it had just been me they'd been after. Now, from what Edward said, they planned in bringing Charlie into it. That I couldn't allow.

I had worked desperately to protect my father from the world of the supernatural, and I wasn't about to let James and Victoria mess that up. Most important, though, I wasn't alone. Edward was with me and I knew he'd go to impossible lengths to protect me and my family. As bad as things were, I savored that knowledge with a flicker of elation. I would never be alone again.


	17. Chapter 17 The Plan

**Author's Notes:**

**Many thanks to EmilyLinne and mcsc2008 for their fabulous beta work.**

**We're getting close to the end here. There are only 22 chapters total and so I expect that we should be able to get this completed before too much longer. Thanks to everyone reading this story for all your wonderful comments and reviews. I'll try to stick my head in and answer some of them on this chapter. Even if I'm not answering them, I do read every single one and I have to say, you guys are incredible. Thank you so much for your encouragement. I hope you enjoy the ride to come!  
**

Chapter Seventeen -- The Plan

At Carlisle's suggestion, the four of us took off into the trees. Carlisle, Esme, Rosalie, and Jasper stayed with Laurent to keep his attention away from us. It was a flight of desperation, led by Edward who was straining to keep himself from outrunning all of us as he dragged me along behind him.

As we fled, we all took in Edward's wild look. His hair was standing up in frantic spikes where he'd run his hands through it repeatedly as we'd run. His eyes were wide, filled with anger and perhaps even a hint of fear.

After we were out of hearing range, Emmett called out to Edward. "Edward, talk to us; tell us what's going on," Emmett demanded when Edward finally came to a stop.

"He's a tracker," Edward told Emmett, his eyes meeting his brother's. "He's been searching for the ultimate challenge."

Edward's gaze returned to my face and his hand tightened on mine, pulling me into his arms.

"He found someone he could not track at all. He watched her, he gathered information on her. Then he stalked her until he felt he had enough information to track her without his abilities. When he thought he knew her well enough, he changed her," Edward's eyes were on mine as he revealed this, and I gasped in shock.

"Turning you into a vampire was deliberate, Bella." Edward reached up with both hands to hold my face as he told me the worst of it. "He followed you around for weeks, thinking that whatever made it hard for him to track you as a human would make it incredibly difficult as a vampire. Whatever it is that keeps me from reading your mind must also prevent him from finding you as well. It made you immeasurably enticing to him."

I almost vibrated with shock and anger; his hands were the only thing holding me up as I gasped unnecessarily for air.

"My mother. Edward, did he go after my mother?" I had to know that she was still safe.

"No, he watched her for awhile when they went back to Phoenix, but it was obvious you weren't there, and Renee and Phil were moving things out to move to Jacksonville. He had the woman go to your school there and read your records. He thought you might move up here with your father, which is why they were headed for Charlie," Edward let his hands fall from my face and pulled me into his arms. "I'm so sorry, Bella."

"Charlie!" I pulled back in shock. "Are they still going after Charlie?"

Edward thought about that a moment and then shook his head just slightly.

"They weren't thinking about that while they were there. He was just delighted he'd found you, even by chance. The hunt is on now, Bella. He sees you as a game he created for his own pleasure. He wins when you die." Edward choked on the last word and then dragged me into a run again, Alice and Emmett close behind.

I turned to look at Alice, who had been silent so far, trying to see all the options she could see. I could nearly see the frantic future-hunting on her face while she tried to decipher all the options she could see as she ran. She was obviously trying to understand where we needed to go and what we needed to do.

"Alice?" I caught her attention as we ran. "What about my father? Is he going after Charlie?"

Alice thought about that a moment and then just shrugged. "He hasn't decided to do that yet, Bella, so I can't see what that future will bring. Edward would know his mind better than I would know his future where it comes to Charlie."

She seemed upset by the idea, but didn't stop looking while we ran back to the house. We piled into Emmett's Jeep instead of Edward's Volvo. I was confused by that, but let Edward pull me along as we all climbed in. Edward pulled onto the main road, and then instead of heading for my house, he headed out-of-town. I reached out, trying to tug his attention back onto me.

"Edward! Where are you going? We have to get back to Charlie. We have to make sure he's safe!" I knew my voice was full of the panic that filled my soul.

"I'm getting you as far away from here as I can," Edward insisted, his voice harsh with fear. "He's not getting anywhere near you. We'll disappear somewhere together, you and me. You'll be safe."

"I might be safe, but my dad won't be. He'll go after Charlie to get me to come out of hiding, Edward," I insisted hoarsely. If they had intended to go after Charlie to get my attention in the first place, my running now wasn't going to stop them from doing that in the future.

"Pull over, now." I tugged harder on his arm, trying to pull the Jeep to the side of the road. "We are going to talk about this. I am not leaving my father in danger."

"Do it," Alice insisted quietly from the backseat when it looked like Edward wasn't going to listen to me.

"Alice, did you hear what I said? This is just a game for him, and the only thing he's seeking is her death," Edward spat through clenched teeth, his eyes meeting hers in the rear view mirror.

"I know, Edward, but just hear Bella out," Alice replied much more calmly, able to detach herself a bit better than Edward and I were doing.

It must have worked, however, because Edward pulled over to the side of the road finally, turning far enough that he could see me and Alice clearly. That made me even angrier on top of everything else I was feeling. He couldn't trust what I was saying; he had to wait for Alice to agree first? That kind of behavior was _not_ going to continue, but that was something to take up with him another time.

"All right, Bella," Alice said as it looked like I had everyone's attention. "Tell us what you're thinking."

"Well, he's coming after me, right?" I asked for confirmation from Edward, and he nodded. "Well, let's just make it so that Charlie becomes useless as a pawn. Take me home. I'll have a fight of some kind with Charlie. I'll tell him that I can't live here anymore, I'm going back to Phoenix, and then I'll stomp out and leave him safe."

I looked up at Alice in question to make sure that I was still making sense in my moments of sheer terror. She nodded at me to go on, and I looked over at Edward as I continued, knowing he was the one to convince. He wasn't going to take chances with my life.

"Then I can go anywhere you like. In fact, the best thing would be for us to split up." I winced at the pure rejection in his eyes before I kept going, faster this time. "Hear me out. He's going to think that you won't leave me, and I can see by the look on your face, he's right. Well, he won't track me. He can't, so he'll track you to get to me, Edward. If I'm safe somewhere else, you can draw him in and convince him that killing me isn't a good idea, and then it's all over."

"He won't stop until one of you is dead, Bella," Edward said, his eyes hard as they met mine. "He won't ever stop. He doesn't stop. This is all there is to his existence, these games he comes up with."

"Then you'll have to kill him, I guess," I said as I met his eyes, returning his look evenly. I didn't want to condone anyone's death, but if it came to me and my family or James, I picked James.

"Yes!" Emmett's voice rang out for the first time from the backseat. He must not have felt strongly enough to comment about anything yet, but that appeared to have changed. He seemed exultant as he pumped his fist. "C'mon, Edward, let's hunt him down."

"I'm not leaving you alone," Edward insisted, his hand reaching for mine, his long fingers brushing over my skin in a loving gesture.

"Jasper and I will stay with her," Alice piped up from the back seat, sighing happily as a clearer future seemed to unfold in her mind. "There. That one works for me. Take us back to Charlie's, Edward."

Edward focused in on Alice's thoughts for a moment before he leaned in to kiss me softly, his hands cupping my face again, and then he turned the Jeep around on the road and headed back into town.

"You have to promise me something, Bella," he insisted as he drove, part of his attention on the area around us, looking for the mind of the hunter, I guessed. He glanced over at me before he turned his attention back to driving. "I need you to be safe. What I said that night that you met with the werewolves is still the case, perhaps even more so. You are everything that is important to me, and I need to know that you're safe while I'm hunting."

I tried to smile, but I'm sure it came across as more of a grimace. I slid as close to him as I could, and I reached out to put my hand on his arm.

"Alice and Jasper will keep me out of trouble, Edward. But I need you to be safe, too. There's not much point in any of it anymore for me, if something happens to you." I was perfectly serious. Edward was the entirety of my world now just as he said that I was his.

His head turned just enough to look at me, and he then sped up. He stiffened as we pulled into the drive at Charlie's house. I knew his attention was focused outside himself there more than with me. He was searching all the nearby thoughts for James and Victoria.

"You have 15 minutes, Bella," he warned me. "No more, no less, if you want the tracker to hear your fight with Charlie."

I nodded, sliding out of the Jeep and walked with Edward to the front door. I leaned up to kiss him and rubbed my cheek against his. He held me tightly for a moment and then released me with an admonition to hurry.

"Edward, I love you. I will always love you. Promise me that you won't listen to anything else that I say in this house tonight?" I looked up into his eyes as I took a step back.

At his nod, I turned, banged open the door and slammed my way into the house. "I don't ever want to see you again, Edward Cullen," I yelled as I slammed the door in his face.

He was instantly gone, around the house and into my bedroom window. I heard him moving around in my bedroom as I stomped noisily to the stairs.

My dad was right there, and wanted to know what had happened. I didn't stop to explain anything to him; it was too soon. Instead, I just stormed into my room. I'd need clothes to wear since I had no idea how long I would be gone. I walked into my room and shut the door, took the bag that Edward thrust at me and started shoving things inside it from my drawers.

"Bella," my dad questioned from outside the door, not daring to push past the barrier to find out what was going on; however, that didn't mean that he wasn't going to push to get me to talk to him.

I kissed Edward on the cheek and then walked out into the hallway with my dad. I clattered into the bathroom to pack up the things there that I would need, pushing past my bewildered father.

"I'm going home," I insisted, ignoring the stunned look on my dad's face. "I just can't be here anymore. He's too perfect. What does he want with _me_?" I tossed shampoo, my toiletry bag and whatever else I could grab quickly that looked important into my duffel bag and zipped it closed.

Turning on my heel, I headed downstairs again, oriented toward the front door when my dad stopped me. From Edward's estimate, it was time for the show.

"Bella, you can't go home, your mother's already moved, there's no one there." Charlie tried to reason with me, but I couldn't give him any leeway on this. I had to protect him.

"I can't stay here, Dad. Everything is too perfect. My life doesn't do perfect. Everything goes to crap eventually, and I won't be able to handle it," I insisted. I carefully broke his hold on my arm and continued toward the door again.

"Bella, you can't drive all that way this late at night. I'm not sure your truck is up to a trip like that." I loved my father. He was the best dad any girl could wish for. I hated doing this to him, but I didn't have any choice.

I reached the front door and opened it. Turning back to him one more time, I said the one thing guaranteed to break his heart and force him to let me go. They were the same words my mother had used when she left him.

"Just let me go, Charlie."

He was still standing there stunned when I hopped into my truck and revved the engine as I took off. Edward was crouched down on the seat, waiting until we were out of sight of my father before he sat up next to me and nudged me inward as he took over driving. I let him without protest or comment, too upset to want to drive, though my vampire reflexes could have easily done it no matter how upset I was.

I looked back over my shoulder just as Emmett jumped into the bed of the truck, reinforcing my protection since I thought James must still be close. I could hear the engine of the Jeep just behind us and figured Alice was driving it.

"Did he take the bait, Edward?" I turned to look at the love of my life driving my truck. He was still so very upset.

"He did," Edward said softly, heading directly to his house to coordinate the rest of the flight with his family. "He's running behind us right now. He'll meet up with the red-head near our house."

I nodded then, reaching up to brush my hair out of my face and letting my head fall onto the seat beside me. I only stayed there for a moment before I slid across the bench seat to press myself into Edward's side. He let go of the wheel with the hand closest to me and wrapped it around my shoulders to pull me closer.

"It will all work out, Bella. I promise you that. Whatever I have to do in order to make you safe again," his voice was fervent with sincerity.

I didn't want that. Not at the cost of him or his soul.

"Edward," I reached up to caress the side of his face, "I don't want you to do anything that you will regret. Kill him if you must but come back to me healthy and intact."

He just smiled down at me, humoring my words, though I knew he would never make me that sort of promise. He was determined to do whatever he had to in order to keep me safe. I just leaned in closer to him, as close as I could manage, trying to get in as much of his touch as I could before we had to be separated.

"I need you to come back to me, Edward." I couldn't hide the fear in my voice at this point. "His death isn't worth yours. I need you to really understand that. There is no Bella without Edward. I am honestly not sure I could live without you now."

I tilted my head to look up at him, begging him with my eyes to understand, to accept that he really was my entire world, the center of anything that made my life worth living. He hugged me tighter to him and sighed softly.

"As you are to me. You are my life as well." He leaned over and kissed the top of my head as we drove up to his house. "I'll have Carlisle and Emmett to keep me safe. You make sure that you are just as safe for me."

"Just as long as that promise goes both ways, Edward. No sacrifices," I insisted, looking out, scanning the area and the trees before I hopped out of the truck right behind Edward. We darted up the stairs to the porch together and were in the house in the blink of an eye.

Carlisle met us at the door, Laurent with him, though the other man looked like he was preparing to leave. Edward immediately pulled me to the side and crouched down, ready to attack or defend as needed. I was pushed behind Emmett as he entered, and then Alice stepped forward to shield me . I was gently forced to the side so there was only a wall at my back. I sighed softly, shaking my head. I wasn't totally defenseless.

"Wait," Carlisle stopped Edward before he could attack.

"I don't want to get into the middle of this," Laurent told Edward as he held his hands up and took a step back. "But there are things you should know about James if you intend to try and keep her alive. It is all about the game for him, and she is the most exciting thing he's ever seen in all his years. He's uncanny. But also, don't underestimate Victoria. As a pair, they are ruthless, and I have never seen them bested. That is why I joined their coven."

I let out a long slow breath. This was another one of James' games. He had to make everyone believe that he was a follower when he was anything but. Did he think it made him safer?

"He's merciless," Laurent observed as he turned to edge around us to the door. "He's the most dangerous vampire I've ever seen in all my years, and he will never stop. Never." As he opened the door, Laurent turned to look at me and then back at Edward.

"He keeps me around to assess how much fun the game will be for him," Laurent provided, and I leaned around Alice, trying to get a read on whether or not he was telling the truth. "It is always more fun for him if his quarry is defended, if it is harder to get to her. He used me to assess the companions of his quarry, to see how strong their bonds are."

Laurent glanced at me again then back at Edward, and he shook his head slightly.

"No matter what I tell him, he does what he wants and never backs down." Laurent looked to Carlisle briefly before his eyes returned to Edward. "I can see that you would all do much for her. But you, I have never seen a bond so strong as the one I see between the two of you, even with other vampires. Take care; I have never seen him fail."

With that, Laurent was gone.

Carlisle said that he was taking the advice given and heading to Denali to visit the coven there to see if the lifestyle we lived was something that he could embrace. I wished him luck. It had to be difficult for him to live so completely under James' thumb.

I just hoped that he didn't cause problems for Carlisle's friends in Alaska while he was there. Someone who had run so long with James could not be entirely innocent.

More than the Cullen's Alaskan family, I was worried about us. I didn't like splitting everyone up and I didn't like Edward going after James without me. There were so many ways that things could go wrong and he would be so far away from me. I wouldn't be able to come to his aid if he needed me.

I also knew that he wouldn't be able to fight as effectively if he had to worry about keeping me safe at the same time. It pained me to admit it, but it was possible that I would put him more at risk with my presence. That is why I decided to let Alice and Jasper take me into hiding. I had to have faith that Edward would join us again quickly and I'd be able to get back to the life we were creating together.


	18. Chapter 18 Deception and Flight

**Author's Notes:**

**PTB Betas: mcsc2008 and EmilyLinne. This wouldn't be nearly as pleasant to read without them.**

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Chapter Eighteen -- Flight and Deception

Edward turned back to me as Laurent left and reached out for my hand, dragging me over to where Esme stood. He wore his worry openly on his face. Rosalie stood beside Esme as they waited, and Edward placed me in front of his sister with a glance up at her.

"Rose, trade clothes with Bella. You can take her scent, and you and Esme can head off in a different direction. Alice and I figure that the woman will follow you two," Edward explained quietly as he turned to look at Alice, confirming the thoughts she was sharing with him.

"Why do I have to do that?" Rosalie interjected, her tone laced with contempt. "She's never brought this family anything but trouble."

"Rose!" Esme gasped in shock, her hand flying up to cover her mouth.

"Esme?" Edward just turned his look to Esme and tilted his head toward her, directing the question to his mother and completely ignoring Rosalie.

Esme grabbed my hand and dragged me with her upstairs into the first room we came to. We were both a flurry of activity, switching clothes and putting on what the other was taking off. When we were both dressed, I reached up and pulled Esme's hair into a ponytail, securing it with the hair tie that had been in my hair and dropped the hat on her head that Emmett had put on me earlier. Leaving my hair free, I pushed her hat down on my head and smiled at her weakly as she grabbed my hand again and led me downstairs.

When we got down the stairs, everyone was moving, except for Rosalie. She stood against a wall, arms crossed over her chest, scowling at everyone, especially me. The wall of windows was now covered with wicked-looking shutters that had to be made of steel, perhaps something stronger.

Edward reached for me as we appeared at the bottom of the stairs. The look he cast Esme was grateful and relieved as he grabbed my hand and pulled me out toward the garage. The rest of the family was close behind us, filling the separate cars with all types of gear and luggage. Edward took me off to the side, wrapped me up tightly in his arms as he buried his face in my hair.

"Be careful," he said against my cheek as his lips pressed softly into my skin. "I don't like leaving you. We'll do this for a few days, and if we don't find him, I'll come and get you. We'll go somewhere safe then. All right?"

I nodded, pressing my face into his shoulder. I never wanted to let him go.

"Edward, you have to be safe too. You and Charlie. Otherwise, none of the rest of this matters." I couldn't clearly express how I felt about him leaving to hunt the man that killed me. I was terrified.

"Esme and Rosalie will stay here and keep Charlie safe after they lead the woman off," Edward told me as Alice appeared at his elbow.

"Time to go, Edward. You have to lead that tracker away before we can get her out of here," she reminded him before she disappeared again. She tossed my bag and several others into the trunk of Carlisle's Mercedes.

I tilted my head to look up at him, to say goodbye, but he stopped me with a kiss. His lips were warm and insistent on mine, giving me the kiss that I had always wanted but he'd always seemed to be so careful not to allow. I threw my arms around his neck, returning the kiss with the same near panic that seemed to be affecting him, and after a moment, he drew away, returning after a brief hesitation to rain light kisses all over the surface of my face.

"Be safe, my Bella," he finally said softly as he pulled on my arms, releasing my hold on him as he stepped back.

He placed one last kiss on my lips and then stepped away, his expression changing as he did so. He looked feral, far more fierce than when we'd been hunting together. This was his battle-face, and it frightened me a little to see it on my sweet, gentle Edward. I was dismayed that I had brought the circumstances that made him feel this horrible need to do whatever he had to in order to eliminate a threat against me.

Alice appeared at my elbow, guiding me toward Carlisle's car and gently directing me into the backseat. I watched Edward get into the big Jeep with Emmett and Carlisle, and it sped out of the garage and down the drive. Alice stood outside the passenger door of the Mercedes and waited. Moments later, her phone started to ring. She answered it and then gestured to Rosalie and Esme. They hopped into my truck and were off, drawing the woman whom we were hoping would think Esme was me.

Alice's phone rang again after a few minutes, and she slid into the car, gesturing to Jasper. As her door shut, he hit the gas and the car took off down the road. I lay down in the backseat. We weren't really sure Laurent had moved on, so we weren't going to make it easy for them to figure out our scheme.

"Are you sure, Bella?" Alice asked me a few minutes later as we hit the main road and were well on our way to the freeway.

"He won't expect us to go where I said I was going," I said quietly looking up at her from the seat where I was lying.

"Very well," Alice said softly, looking over at Jasper. "I hope you'll be fine without being able to hunt as often. We won't be able to head into the desert; it's too risky."

She turned to look back at me and on her face was concern and sympathy. I just shrugged in response. I'd do what I had to do. This was part of keeping Charlie safe. Besides, I was more determined than ever that as little as possible connected me with James, and drinking human blood was the most important part of that resolution.

She grinned at me encouragingly as she reached back to offer me her hand in support.

"It will all work out, Bella," Alice said gently before she released my hand and turned to take Jasper's on the console between them.

The ride to Phoenix was fast. It didn't take nearly as long to get where you were going when you only had to stop for gas. After we got out of the greater Seattle area, I sat up, no longer feeling the need to hide.

The slim silver phone Edward had given me lay dormant in my hand, and I stared at it for hours on end as Jasper and Alice spoke quietly in the front seat. I felt so ridiculous. It was the only thing that I had been able to bring that Edward had given me, and it felt like a lifeline. It was a small portion of him that I could hold to make it feel like he really wasn't so far away after all. The phone didn't ring. They were still trying to hide from James that I wasn't with them, so they couldn't risk that any communication between us might give the game away.

My hand curled around the phone yet again as I tilted my head to look out the window and watched the miles pass by in a blur. I avoided looking at the speedometer since I knew that Jasper had buried the needle most of the drive. Some part of my mind was aware of the mundane things that Alice and Jasper were talking about: the route we were taking, the places to stop and get gas, the type of hotel to stay in when we arrived, and the location of the airport. Sometimes, Alice would turn and clarify some part of Phoenix's geography with me, and I would direct them quietly, my mind still on Edward and James and whether they were perhaps coming head-to-head even now.

I had faith in Edward, but I was so focused on what it would do to me if I lost him. I had a hard time accepting that a fight between them was inevitable. I knew Edward had Emmett and Carlisle, and they wouldn't allow anything to happen to him if they could prevent it. The logical mind was aware of all the things that we had going for us that would ensure Edward came back to me, but my heart wasn't easily convinced. Admittedly, where Edward was concerned, my heart was the dominant factor.

Jasper drove as fast as Edward did, faster than anyone ought to drive. I had to admit that our reflexes were much better suited to driving fast than a human's. To drive like Edward and Jasper did would be downright suicidal for a human, and I was still my father's daughter. I'd been brought up to obey the law; traffic laws were one of those things my father had been quite focused on, especially as I was learning how to drive. I didn't object to anyone's crazy driving today, however. I didn't attempt to suggest that Jasper slow down and keep to the laws. I sat almost in a daze in the backseat, watching the miles go by in abject worry.

We chose a hotel near the airport in Phoenix, anticipating that the boys would be able to finish this quickly and we'd be that much closer when Edward was finally able to join us. I was eager at the thought of having Edward on the next plane and back in my arms.

Alice and Jasper checked in while I hid in the car. We didn't want anyone to see me, leaving clues that I was here, but also, I didn't trust myself around humans right now as stressed out as I felt. Alice and Jasper came back with a key, and we grabbed the luggage and headed into the room. Jasper turned the TV on so that we could keep up with anything in the news that might be pertinent. You never knew the kind of things were so clearly something perpetrated by one of our kind that humans dismissed as unsolvable mysteries.

I dropped onto the couch, curling my legs up into my chest. I tried not to look at Alice and Jasper as I did so. They weren't as openly demonstrative as Rosalie and Emmett were, but it still reminded me that the center of my world wasn't with me. He was going into danger because of me, but without me. It was almost impossible for me to come to terms with that. I felt like I should be with him, watching his back.

Time passed. Interminable. Endless. It seemed like I was waiting away the entirety of my life. It would have been easier had I been able to sleep, but I sat on the couch, staring mindlessly at the TV and waiting.

Not long after noon on our third day in Phoenix, Alice stiffened suddenly from her spot on the couch, and I could see her eyes still in the way that they did when she was having a particularly strong vision. Jasper came to attention and moved over to her side, leaving the window he'd been peering out of in order to take her hand.

I was already beside her and leaned over, trying to see into her eyes.

"Alice?" I questioned her softly. "What do you see?"

"It's a room," Alice said, her voice distant and quiet. "Mirrors cover the walls, and there's a bar across them about waist height."

"What? Like a ballet studio?" That was the only thing I could think of with mirrors and a bar.

Alice and Jasper focused on me quickly, surprised at my sudden understanding.

"What?" I was surprised by their reaction. "My mother insisted that I take ballet once when I was a kid. That was a disaster. I kept knocking over the other dancers. The studio I went to is just down the street from the house that my mom still owns here."

Alice gave Jasper a look, and then he slid some paper and a simple charcoal pencil down in front of her on the coffee table. She took the pencil in hand and started giving an outline of a room with mirrors and arches and a bar anchored to the wall. I tilted my head to watch her and then nodded in agreement after a moment.

"Yeah, that's how I remember it," I said softly, pointing at the arches over the doorways. "This is the main entrance, and there's an exit here and here. This is where I fell and broke my ankle." I pointed to a spot in front of one of the mirrors.

"Is this the same room, Bella?" Alice asked me gently. "Is it similar or the same?"

At that, I could only give her a shrug in answer. "Alice, it's been since I was fairly young -- and human -- and you know how human memories are after our change. This experience was particularly unpleasant, so I don't remember it very well. It could be the same place. Those arches are pretty unique."

Alice looked down at the picture for a long moment. Who knew what else she was seeing in her head? I waited as long as I could and then I interrupted her.

"Alice?" I had to know what she was seeing.

"Something has changed, Bella. All I see now is darkness and then this room." She shook her head and then picked up her phone a moment before it rang.

"Yes," she said into the phone as she answered it. I heard the rumble of Edward's voice, and my mind focused in on the sound of it more than the words he was saying to Alice. "Yes, he's changed his mind. I see darkness and then this room that Bella thinks is a ballet studio. It's here in Phoenix," she informed him in her lyrical voice.

There was silence on the other end of the phone after that. After a short pause, I heard Edward say quite clearly, "We'll be on the next plane. Let me talk to her."

Alice then handed the phone to me, and I was far too eager to grab it and raise it up to my ear. "Edward?"

"Bella." His voice was full of relief at the sound of mine, and I smiled. I felt as relieved as he sounded. "You're staying out of trouble?"

"How could I not? Alice and Jasper are taking good care of me." Although, I'd felt my hunger rise day-by-day, and I knew that I would have to hunt very soon.

"We're on our way. I'll be there with you later tonight. I miss you, Bella." I rose and walked into the suite's bedroom, wanting a little more privacy with my love. "The past few days without you have been unbearable."

"I know what you mean," I told him. All I'd done was stare at walls. "Please hurry. I don't like being without you."

"It won't be much longer, my darling," he told me, and then we said our goodbyes as he rushed off to catch the first plane that he could.

I didn't like that Alice's vision placed James back here in Phoenix, but Edward was coming to be with me, and that eclipsed almost anything else. Suddenly, I was aware that I was here, in Phoenix. My dad was upset and worried and he would have told my mother that I was headed here. I didn't want her in the middle of this mess.

I made a soft noise of panic and called her cell phone. She didn't answer. I called the number of the new house in Jacksonville. Again, no answer. I dialed the house here in Phoenix and no answer. I left messages at all three places.

"Mom, I'm all right. There's nothing to worry about. Call me when you get this message, and I'll tell you all about it. Don't try to meet me in Phoenix, I won't be there. Here's the number where you can reach me," and I rattled off the numbers of the cell phone Edward had given me that day we'd met and then hung up the phone.

At that point, I returned to the other room, handing Alice her phone, and I smiled at her for the first time in days.

"They're coming here," I told her, even though she already knew.

"Yes, I know, Bella. He told me, too, you know," Alice admonished with a smile on her face as she teased me.

"Yes, but ... I just needed to say it." I dropped on the couch beside her to wait.

I sat there a long moment, staring at the ceiling, and then I turned to look at Alice again and found her looking back at me as though patiently waiting. I laughed. She knew what I was going to ask, but still, she waited until I asked the questions, letting me do this in my own way.

"Alice, why?"

"Why is he so fixated on you? Why can't he track you?" she made sure to clarify for my sake what I was asking.

I nodded.

"Don't take my opinion as gospel, Bella, but I can tell you what I think. I have no problems at all seeing your future. Jasper, he can feel your emotions and manipulate them easily. But Edward has no access to your mind at all. And James cannot track you," she summed up the things that we did know without a shadow of a doubt.

Her eyes met mine again as she continued, "Now, the rest of this is just my opinion. All the things you seem immune to occur within your own mind. I see outcomes of things; these events are outside your mind. Jasper, he affects the chemistry of your body -- how you are physically feeling -- also outside your mind. But Edward, his ability is obviously very focused directly on the mind. As far as James, I can only guess it is the same thing; he tracks, as many trackers do, based upon the flavor or the feel of the mind he is hunting."

I blinked at her words several times as I tried to absorb everything she'd said. This had caused so much havoc in my life.

"So, there's more going on with me than this super self-control that Jasper was teasing me about?" I looked at Alice again as I tried to reason it all out in my mind. So much of this was about things I had no experience with.

"Oh yes, Bella, the rest of us have known that from the very beginning." Alice smiled at me gently. "Carlisle believes that you are some sort of shield. The Volturi have one, but she is quite different from you. She is able to repel physical attacks. You seem to be able to lock one and all completely out of your mind. It's quite rare, Bella, and you are especially strong."

A text interrupted us then with the details of Edward's flight. He was bringing Carlisle and Emmett, and they were coming in late, about 10:00 pm. It was a safe hour in Phoenix for us to be out and about, but it still seemed too long to me. I'd have dressed in a burqa if that meant getting Edward and me together more quickly. Suddenly, Alice looked over at me and blinked in surprise.

"Bella, why do I see you in a burqa?" Her tone was horrified, and Jasper laughed from his favorite perch near the window.

"I was just thinking that I'd dress in a burqa to hide from the sun if that meant I could get to Edward more quickly," I told her with a smile, and she shuddered in reaction.

"Yes, but ... a burqa? Bella, there are much prettier ways to hide your skin from the sun." Then she paused. "All right, I'll admit that there might be pretty burqas out there, but I can make you look lovelier in scarves."

I had to laugh at her response. She'd been following me around for days trying to get me in "pretty" clothes. Apparently, she'd brought a bag of things she wanted me to wear, and she kept trying to get me to put on the most outrageous things. She'd brought skirts, dresses, and high heels with spiked ends. She was determined to get me into something utterly feminine. I'd been staring at the TV or the wall the entire time and just shaking my head at her whenever she'd suggest I change. Since Edward had called, however, it was like I had come alive.

"Speaking of scarves," Alice said leadingly, and I laughed.

"You aren't going to give up, are you?" I demanded, able to see the humor in the situation now.

"Of course not. Please? I want you to look beautiful when Edward arrives." She grabbed my hand and tried to look endearing, and I sighed but nodded.

"Fine," I said as she dragged me to my feet and toward the bedroom. "But no dresses."

Alice pouted but gave in as she knew that my agreeing to let her dress me at all was a concession.

"That doesn't eliminate skirts," she reminded me as Jasper started to laugh again, watching her drag me off.

"I know, but please, be gentle with me, Alice. I don't even know how to walk in some of those shoes." My tone turned begging. I was begging. Alice had a tendency to get carried away.

By the time she was done, I was dressed in a knee-length skirt of dark blue, a lighter blue short-sleeved v-neck cashmere sweater, and a pair of black espadrilles that tied up my ankle. The skirt was flared, flowing out around my legs like a ballroom dancer's dress as I moved, making me feel pretty and girly.

Alice being Alice, she'd insisted on matching accessories, and I sat on the bed like an obedient fashion doll as she completed her masterpiece. Flashing blue gems accented my ears, dangling from delicate silver loops. A twist of silver wrapped around my neck, holding gently onto a matching blue teardrop. Finally, she threw a tennis bracelet full of blue gems around one of my wrists. I peered at the bracelet and then looked up at her, my eyes wide.

"Alice, if you have draped me in a fortune of sapphires, I don't want to know," I told her quietly, terrified of losing even one of the earrings.

"Oh, don't be silly, Bella," she admonished me. "It's not like you won't notice if one of them falls out or something.

She was right; my senses were so much more acute now that I could measure the exact shift of the metal through the holes in my ears. I took in a deep breath, continuing my statue impression as she twisted my hair up into a loose chignon at the back of my head, pulling several tendrils free and curling them about a curling iron that had suddenly appeared. It made me suspicious. She'd planned this very carefully.

"Alice," I said as she finished and allowed me to rise. "You are a very dangerous vampire. You really frighten me. I think you scare me more than the idiots who killed me."

I was quite serious. Was there nothing Alice wouldn't do to get her way? Especially if getting her way was dressing me up like some pretty Barbie doll? I didn't even know if Edward would like it. It was so much more different from my usual look that I was afraid what he'd think.

I didn't think he was so shallow that a change in how I dressed would drive him away from me, but there was enough self-conscious teenager left in me that I did worry about his reaction. Alice just laughed at the look on my face.

"Trust me, Bella; he's going to love it. You do trust me, right?" She batted her eyes at me, and I sighed softly.

"Of course I do, Alice, but this is so ... not me," I turned around gracefully on the heels and the skirt flared out around me.

Alice took my hand as I came to a stop, and she tugged on it as she demanded my attention be focused completely on her.

"Bella, you are in love with a vampire that is over one hundred years old. His formative years were during a time when women wore only dresses. In fact, when he was a boy, they were covered from ankle to wrist to chin by fabric," she explained to me.

I gasped in shock. I wasn't going to put on a dress that covered that much. I wouldn't be able to move. Alice laughed again.

"No, he doesn't want to see you that covered up, Bella, thank goodness. I'm just saying that these men appreciate a woman in a skirt or a dress. You feel pretty and feminine, and it makes them see you as more feminine, too. My Jasper's the same way." She talked me out of my mild fit of panic, and I could only hug her.

"You're a good sister, you know that?" I swung her around, and she laughed at me and dragged me out of the room.

"Come on, we've lots of time to wait still, and we might as well torment Jasper while we're at it." Her smile turned mischievous as she opened the door, and I laughed.

She was going to torment Jasper, and I was going to do my best to ignore them as I waited impatiently for my sweetheart to arrive.

"Looking good, Bella," Jasper said with a smile as we came into the main room and he walked over to greet Alice with a kiss. "She give you her 'be a woman for your man' speech?"

I narrowed my eyes at her and tilted my head to the side in irritation. I didn't like being played, even if it was for a good cause.

"Apparently. I didn't know it was its own speech. How often does she use it?" I almost growled at her, though not seriously. I wouldn't attack Alice, and I am sure Jasper could feel the lack of intent in my emotions.

"Not that often, Bella," she defended, smacking Jasper on the arm for giving away one of her secrets. "Besides, you needed it. She looks great; doesn't she, Jaz?"

"You do look great, Bella," Jasper confirmed as he wrapped his arms around Alice and smiled down at her.

"You'd say anything to make her happy even if I looked like the Loch Ness monster," I grumbled at him as I flopped onto the couch in a flurry of blue.

Too much blue, I thought, but Alice was so sure and so happy and she and Jasper were doing so much for me that I didn't feel it right to grouse too much.

At that point, my phone rang, and I lifted it gratefully, noticing the caller ID said it was my mother's house here in Phoenix. I told Alice who it was as I rushed into the bedroom and closed the door. I knew they'd hear me anyway, but I wanted as much privacy as they could give me. I hit the receive button on the phone and lifted it to my ear.

"Mom?" I said into the phone, afraid she was going to go totally nuts on me.

"Bella? Bella?" my mother's voice demanded, and I cringed. She was frantic. It sounded as panicked as that time I'd fallen on a large crack in the pavement and broken my wrist as I tried to break my fall.

"Mom, I'm fine, everything is all right, let me explain." Except that I really didn't know how to explain any of it.

There was actual silence on the end of the line for a long moment, and I started to worry.

"Mom?" I tried to draw her out, make sure she was okay.

"It is very important that you be very careful, Bella," the voice on the other end of the phone advised me, and it wasn't my mother's. "You don't want anything to happen to your mother, do you?"

This is where a large part of my logical brain shut down, and my vision misted over with red. I felt the anger coursing through my body. It was deeper, stronger than I had felt when I'd nearly attacked Mike Newton. This consumed me, the need to fight and kill. I understood better than ever what that look on Edward's face had meant when he'd left me. It had been this. I could not contain the low growl of warning that escaped my lips.

He tsked softly into the phone in the most irritating manner I could imagine.

"Careful now, Bella," James said to me from the phone in my mother's house. "You don't want your traveling companions to know that something is wrong. That would be detrimental to your mother's health if you get my meaning.

I barely withheld a hiss of anger and then tried to gain control of myself.

"Now, I want you to say, 'Yes, Mom, I'm just fine'," James advised me, and I parroted him as calmly as I could as though I was really talking to my mother.

"You have to get away from your babysitters," he told me, not leaving any options open for me. "Can you do that?"

"Of course, Mom. You shouldn't have come home." I wanted him to understand my double meaning. I would get away if I had to, but he shouldn't have come here. He should not have taken my mother and he would not get away with threatening my family.

"I'll be at the ballet studio around the corner from your house at 11:00 tonight. You will come alone," James said very quietly. He wanted to make sure that Alice and Jasper didn't overhear a thing.

"Of course, Mom. I'll explain everything later, I promise. You go back to Phil and be safe. I'll call you later." James had long since hung up, but I had to continue the charade so that Alice wouldn't suspect anything, though that wasn't likely to work. Alice knew everything.

I said my fake good-byes, closed the phone and then made my way back into the living area and flopped down on the couch, throwing my arm over my eyes. Alice and Jasper left me alone, probably thinking that it must have been a difficult call with my mother. Little did they know.

As I lay there, my mind started going over all the possibilities. I didn't let that feral part of me rise again just yet. I didn't think that was something that I could hide from Alice, and then she wouldn't let me go to the airport to meet Edward. It was imperative that I be able to go. That was where I would make my escape.

One of the bathrooms on the main concourse had a secondary exit that not many people were as aware of. I would go into the bathroom to check my contacts and then slip out the other side. I would be in a cab and on my way back home before they noticed that I was gone, at least I hoped that was the case.

As the time came closer and closer, my mind jumped from how I would get away from Alice to what I would do when I got to the studio. This was the room Alice had seen, of that I was sure. I wondered what her vision had been; what she had seen in that room? I hoped that it had not been my death.

I made plans within plans within plans, exploring my options of how I would get my mother free, how I would fight James if I had to. I did not intend to be the one to die if anyone had to die tonight. In fact, a part of my mind was entirely focused on how I could use the things I had learned from Edward's family to defend myself and how I would kill James. Edward had never been able to bring himself to teach me how to fight, but I had learned a few things in the training sessions with Emmett and Jasper. I thought that I could at least keep myself alive until Edward came for me.

I knew absolutely that he would come. I didn't think there was anything that would keep him from finding his way to me once he got off that plane. I had already given Alice enough information to get him to the ballet studio before too much time had passed. In fact, I was counting on it.

I delayed as we moved to leave to meet the others. I messed with my contacts, had issues with my outfit, feigned nervousness about how I looked and tried to get Alice to let me change. I was stalling. I couldn't allow too much free time in the airport if I was going to get free.

Alice seemed to put up with me for the most part, but she finally dragged me out to the car, insisting that even if I wanted a burqa, she couldn't find one in the amount of time we had left. She made me laugh, even in my upset. Before I knew it, I was shaking my head at her as I finally gave in and climbed into the car.

Jasper stayed right with me as we went into the airport. I knew he could feel my nervousness, and I hoped that he would attribute it to being in an airport packed full of people. Although I had done this once before, I hadn't been this hungry and experience didn't make this any easier.

As we passed the bathroom that I needed, I pulled Alice to a stop, keeping one of my eyes closed.

"Alice, I think my contact is dissolving early, I'll have to replace it," I told her softly as I backed toward the bathroom. "Go on to the gate, I'll meet you there."

She looked at me, looked at Jasper and then shooed me off.

"Fine, but Jaz will wait here for you. Hurry up; their plane has already landed." Alice turned to go her own way as I smiled apologetically at Jasper and made my way into the bathroom.

Hiding things from Alice? I didn't think that was possible. My plan was too well thought out for it to be a surprise for her. She had to know what I was planning. What I didn't know yet was if she was going to let me get away with it.

I slid right through that bathroom and out the other side, darting into the stream of people making their way through the airport and out to the curb where I stole a cab out from under someone else's nose. They were still cursing me when I closed the door and the driver pulled away from the curb.

I gave the cab driver the address for the market around the corner from the ballet studio. In case things went badly, I knew that the less attention drawn to anywhere vampires were going to be, the better.

As the driver headed out onto the freeway, I leaned back against the seat and tried to work out every plan that I could imagine for every circumstance that was possible. There were the possibilities where he had my mother and the ones where he didn't. There were ones where he'd hurt her and ones where he hadn't. There was even one just in case I showed up and he'd already killed her. I had to be ready for the possibility, but I was afraid that if he'd hurt or killed my mother, the feral part of me washed in crimson would just take over and I would do my best to kill him.

Part of the scenarios in my mind were to consider what he looked for, what he wanted from my reactions, how I could do the unexpected to throw him off. The cab ride seemed like forever yet not long enough for me to go through all the contingency plans for anything that could happen.

I really missed Edward. I wanted him with me. I wanted to kiss him again, to hold his hand, to dream about a future together. One of the scenarios that I'd considered was James attacking me as I stepped in the door, tearing me apart. I would be ready for it. I would do my best to live long enough for Edward and his family to get to me, but I had to be willing to stall or to fight in order to stay alive.

I was ready as the cab pulled up at the market, and I paid the driver quietly and got out. I waited until he'd driven off and then started to walk quickly down the street, as quickly as I thought I could get away with while still appearing human. It only took a few moments before I was in front of the ballet studio that I had trained in so briefly as a child.

At one point, my mother thought that the clumsiness could be trained out of me. She was sure that all I needed were a few dance lessons. Give me some experience in graceful movement, and I'd pick that right up. I wouldn't be clumsy any more. What she learned is that a clumsy girl trying to perform ballet can take down an entire row of girls at a single recital. She gave up at that point, thank goodness.

I stood outside the door for a moment, taking a deep breath and getting myself ready. I looked at the little purse Alice had insisted that I carry and then looped it around my neck and under my arm so that it wouldn't easily fall off but couldn't be used to wrap around my neck. Alice made such a big deal about carrying it that perhaps it was more than fashion and might just contain something that I might need in the short term.

Whatever happened from here on out, I had done my best to prepare. Time was up. The deadline had been reached, and I was stepping forward into the future. One way or the other, only one of us was going to leave this building alive, and I intended it to be me. I opened the door and stepped inside.


	19. Chapter 19 The Battle

**Author's Notes: WARNING -- This chapter contains a battle scene and details a fight with and the destruction of a vampire. This chapter is rated PG-13. If you are younger than 13 or if the description of dismemberment and death disturbs you, please do not continue. You can skip right to the next chapter.**

**PTB: EmilyLinne and mcsc2008 are the permanent betas on this story.  
**

Chapter Nineteen – The Final Battle

The interior of the building was dark and closed up. From the sign on the door, they were enjoying spring break with the rest of the country. I almost missed those days, at least the ones where school vacations were carefree and empty of cold-hearted, bloodthirsty murderers.

I heard the sound of my mother calling my name from the back studio. I recognized it this time. The sound, the pitch, it was all the same -- a recording, rewound to repeat again and again. Hope rose in me; if my mother wasn't here, that evened the odds quite a bit in my favor. I strode toward the back room, moving silently even in the pretty shoes Alice had made me wear.

I did wish, however, that I hadn't agreed to let her put me in a skirt, pretty but not the best thing for fighting evil vampires. Admittedly, she had dressed me before the phone call and before I'd made the decision that put me in this ballet studio. She should not have known then. I truly didn't think I'd gotten anything over on her in the airport. I hoped that she had rallied the troops, and they were on their way.

Carefully, I made my way through the back room and to the TV that was playing one of my home movies. Yes, my mother yelling frantically because I'd fallen and bloodied or broken something was the standard fare in our house. I turned it off and then turned feeling the hunter was nearby. I watched as he walked toward me. James. He'd been waiting near the entrance of the room as I'd guessed and he had done nothing while he watched me turn off the video.

"It's so much easier this way, don't you think? Not involving your mother?" he said as he stopped several feet away from me.

"Especially as she was in Jacksonville and difficult to get to in the time you had," I commented wryly.

He shrugged, not caring that I'd seen through his subterfuge. He watched me carefully as though he expected the flashes of newborn temperament that Jasper was always expecting but still hadn't seen. I smiled slowly. If he expected your typical newborn, I wasn't her. Edward liked to say that I was so much more than a newborn ever had been.

As he watched me, I stepped around the cabinet. I walked normally and let my skirt swish in the hope of distracting him from the fact that I was much more dangerous than I looked.

"You went to a lot of trouble," I observed in a tone that sounded bored, something I had heard often from Rose. "Stealing a video from my mother's house, waiting around for a message that might have never been left, making a phone call. So much effort on behalf of little old me."

Sarcasm dripped from my tone and I really hoped that he noticed that I was mocking him. He wasn't even worth my contempt anymore. Life -- the giving, the taking, the living -- was not a game. It certainly was not to me, and very shortly, it would no longer be a game for him either. I continued to walk, heading out to the side so that I would have room to move.

"It wasn't that much trouble. I had the video already. It was quite useful in getting to know you." He was so arrogant that he was taking my words at face value.

That angered me -- he'd watched me, stolen things from my mother that were private and cherished by her. I let the anger arise in me to fill my vision with red as the last of my contacts dissolved in the increase of venom filling my body in preparation for a fight.

"You did better than I expected," he commented with confusion.

"Did I?" I tried to pull off Alice's innocent look and hoped that it worked.

"Or worse, depending on the point of view. No one died. There were no reports of explained deaths, no police rushing around," he sounded disappointed and I smiled.

"Oh, yes, I can explain that," I turned to face him, smiling slightly as I observed everything about him all at once. He was covered in leaves and dirt while I was dressed up like a cheerleader with a blue fetish.

"See, at first, I was out in the desert, no people. I only had animals to drink from." I really wasn't as good at the innocent thing as Alice was. "And then, after I discovered that I didn't have to kill people, I just wanted to make sure that I didn't do what _you_ would do."

He stilled in the way that a vampire has of not moving at all while he absorbed that information. I smiled slowly at him, still trying to look small and feminine.

"See, you made me like you," I continued, "but I didn't have to be _like_ you. I didn't have to do the things I'm sure you expected me to."

If he didn't see that as the insult that it was, he wasn't as intelligent as I'd come to expect a vampire to be. Well, as far as I was concerned, it didn't matter how smart he was; he was going to die anyway.

I saw the awareness grow in his eyes, and he growled at me softly. I smiled back at him. That made him even angrier, but he couldn't be as angry as I was. I was still rational, but everything in me wanted to feel him come apart under my hands. In his case, I hope it hurt.

He crouched down, a hunting crouch and his burgundy eyes focused on me. I crouched instinctively, getting ready for a fight. My basic stance matched his, but I liked to think that mine was more graceful. He started to circle around, and I followed, not letting my eyes leave his, not letting the smile leave my lips.

"Aw, did that hurt your feelings?" I taunted softly. I wanted him to lose control. I wanted him making rash decisions fed by emotion.

As my tone turned scornful, he leaped at me. But I had trained in the school of Jasper, and I twisted out of the way with an easy spin of my feet and kicked his legs out from under him as he landed. He hit the floor with a resounding crash, causing the wooden flooring to come up in places. I leaped back, crouching down with one hand on the floor, Emmett-style, and I waited for him to come up.

I had newborn speed and strength, I had the presence of mind of a much older vampire, and I had been training with Emmett and Jasper. I wasn't going to be the easy take down that he'd anticipated when he created me.

He pulled himself to his feet with speed that would look like a blur to a human, crouched down and came at me again. I stepped to the side and clothes-lined him, letting him fall on the ground at my feet before I leapt away again. I delighted in watching him grow more and more livid each time I took him down.

As he jumped to his feet again, the full extent of his loss of control was evident in his movement and expressions as he snarled at me. This was no longer a game to him; he just wanted to see me die. This was the point I was waiting for. I held up my hand, palm toward myself, and gestured him forward with my fingers.

He rushed toward me suddenly. I think he intended on tackling me to the ground. I jumped up this time, a movement I had not yet performed, and it gave him no room to anticipate me. As I came down behind him, I reached for his right arm, the one that he'd broken on me when he'd attacked me as a human. I bent down, bit his hand at the wrist, and tore until it was free from his arm. Tossing it off and into one of the corners, I then twisted out of the way again, putting myself between him and his lost limb. He wasn't going to get that part of him back easily.

He roared in disbelief and outrage and leapt at me again, coming at me like a bear in a rush of claws and anger. With my next move, I took his other arm at the shoulder just before the outside doors opened and my family came blowing into the building like the wind. Edward was on him before I could react and slammed James into the floor with an intensity that made the entire building shake.

He held him down while Alice danced up and touched her teeth to the side of his neck and divested James of his head. Jasper started the fire while Emmett continued with the dismemberment. I ran through the room, picking up any remaining vampire pieces and tossed them to Jasper to feed the flames of what had been the floor of the dance studio.

When all of James lay in ruin consumed by fire, Emmett and Jasper ran through the building. They were deliberately spreading the fire to the other rooms to cover all evidence of a vampire battle. Edward approached me then. His manner was cautious, probably because I was staring into the flames in anger, watching the fire consume the man that had changed my life forever.

"Bella?" His tone was hesitant as though he weren't sure that I wouldn't attack him.

I turned and smiled at him and then ran toward him. I wrapped my arms around his back and took a moment to savor that he was here with me.

"Let's go," he said after just a second. "We don't want to get caught in the fire, too."

I smiled at him, and we left the dance studio, hand in hand. It occurred to me that I was free. James could no longer haunt me and would no longer haunt me. My mother and father were safe from him, from his sick games. I could get on with living the rest of my life now -- the rest of my very long life.

We all met outside the studio and then walked calmly and quietly down the street to where Carlisle was waiting with the car. Edward, Jasper, Alice and I all filed into the back of the Mercedes, and Carlisle drove off carefully. I knew he was attempting to look like an innocent bystander to anyone who might notice us leaving the scene of the raging fire.

I was squished up so tightly against Edward in the back seat that I might as well have been in his lap. Finally, after a couple of blocks, he pulled me into his lap with a smile. He hadn't let go of me since I'd jumped into his arms in the studio, and I wasn't ready to let him do so. He took advantage of having me at his mercy to run his hands over my arms and my face, checking for injuries. I just laughed.

"I'm fine, Edward. He didn't touch me. You guys taught me too well, and he just couldn't compensate," I said on a sigh of mock regret.

That got me smothered in his arms again, and I just laughed in delight.

"You shouldn't have run off on your own like that," he said after another long moment, tilting my head back so he could look into my face. "You scared me. That was very dangerous, Bella."

Of course, he would have to scold me. He still hadn't come to terms with the fact that he now had a mate, someone for him alone. I thought he was still terrified of losing me, and Alice had confirmed that just days before as we'd waited in the hotel room.

"I'm fine, Edward," I said softly, dropping a kiss on his lips. "We thought that something like this might happen and we planned for it. That's the best that we can do. Besides, it was good for me to face him like that, to let him, and me, know that he hadn't beaten me."

"I told you, Edward, facing him was empowering for her," Alice had climbed onto Jasper's lap, leaving the back seat much roomier than before.

Edward glared at her, and Carlisle and Emmett laughed in the front seat. Carlisle had been looking back at us through the rear view mirror, and Emmett had turned in his seat to watch Edward and me openly.

"I wondered why you let me sneak away like that. I knew there was no way I was going to hide anything from you, so I tried to make sure that you knew where I was going." I smiled at Alice. She was the best sister ever.

Edward just frowned, shaking his head as he buried his face against my hair.

"You two are going to be the death of me," he groaned against my shoulder.

"Perhaps," I admitted as I pulled his head out of my hair and gave him another short kiss. "But you love us so much that you don't mind."

He tried giving me a mock glare, but we'd been apart too long, and it just turned into a smile as he peppered my face in kisses.

"Don't run away again. I don't think my heart could take it." He tried to be stern, but he also knew I'd do it again if I had to.

"Edward?" I wanted his attention and I didn't want him distracted. When he looked up at me again, I smiled. "I love you."

"I love you too," he returned with a smile, and his eyes left my face to drift down over the blue that Alice had covered me in and he groaned. "Alice, are you trying to kill me?"

I blinked in surprise at that, casting her a confused look. She was smiling smugly.

"Why? What's wrong, Edward?" I hated when he said something cryptic and then wouldn't explain it to me. I also wanted to know why Emmett was laughing so hard he nearly fell out of the car.

"Not a thing, Bella. It's just, in that outfit. You look ... delicious." His voice was hoarse, like he was hurt, and I didn't understand for a long minute.

Emmett started laughing harder, and I reached over to punch him in the arm as I sighed, yet another time when I knew I'd have blushed if I'd still been human.

"Well, I'm glad you like it. She keeps trying to put me in dresses and skirts, and I gave in this time." I was trying to push the attention off me and back onto Alice.

He could only smile as he tightened his arms around me and held me tightly. I felt complete in a way I hadn't since we'd left Washington. This was my place, my home, my refuge. Edward's arms. I never wanted to leave them again.


	20. Chapter 20 Return to Washington

**Author's Notes: Okay, there is some recap of the previous chapter here. You've been warned about dismemberment discussion. We're getting near the end here. Lots of people have been asking about Victoria. I have deliberately left her fate unknown. There is a possibility I might write a sequel.**

**PTB: mcsc2008 and EmilyLinne – They're fabulous.**

Chapter Twenty – Return to Washington

It didn't take us very long, to get back home to Forks, and we all gathered in the living room in the Cullen house. Esme and Rosalie were waiting for us there, and even Rosalie and Emmett's reunion was sweet.

We all took our places on the couches, the spots that seemed to have been ours from that very first day I met these people, and I smiled around at them. They felt like family now, like I belonged here, and I loved it.

"Charlie's safe." Those were the first words Esme said as we settled into place and she cuddled up against Carlisle's side. "The woman, Victoria, stayed here for awhile, trying to get through us to him. But about the time James seemed to head to Phoenix, she just left. We haven't seen any evidence of her since."

I blinked in surprise. I hadn't been expecting that. I guess James had been trying to hold my dad in reserve in case he couldn't get to my mother. In the end, he hadn't needed either of them; I'd come right to him on just the threat that he had Renee. My hand tightened around Edward's at the thought of my father in danger, and he smiled at me reassuringly.

"He was safe the entire time we were gone, Bella. We thought James might try to send Victoria after your father while the rest of us were distracted with him," he informed me gently, and I cast a surprised look over to Rosalie where she sat on Emmett's lap on the other couch. I hadn't expected her to help defend and protect my father. I wondered if Esme had had a talk with her.

Rosalie just shrugged at me before she turned away again, looking like she was ignoring us completely though I knew she still listened.

"What happened, Bella?" Esme asked as she caught my eye. "Alice told us about the phone call you got and that her vision changed, but we'd like to know the details."

I glanced at Edward, knowing he'd seen Alice's visions, and I wasn't sure that he wanted me to go through the telling. This had to be difficult for him, as protective as he was of me, but he just nodded.

"I got a call after I left a message on my mother's machine in case she went to the house. I knew Charlie would have called her, and I didn't want her near Phoenix if I could stop it. She still isn't answering on any of her numbers." I was worried; I still had no idea where she was.

"It was my mother's voice. James had stolen some home movies from my house where she was yelling out my name in panic," I continued with a smile at Edward. I had returned to his lap and settled in quite comfortably.

"Anyway, I agreed to meet him since I wasn't sure he hadn't actually taken my mother. No one has been able to get ahold of her. But he didn't really know where she was." I shrugged, this point wasn't important to me. There was no way of knowing why he hadn't actually taken my mother, I was just glad that he had not.

"I walked into the studio, turned off the video he'd stolen and then taunted him for a bit until he attacked me. The angrier he got, the clumsier he became. He wasn't thinking any longer and wasn't very careful about what he was doing. It made it easier to take him down."

Edward growled when I admitted I'd taunted James into attacking me, and I put my hand over his mouth so that I could finish my story.

"Anyway, I tore off his hand and his arm; when the others arrived, they helped me finish him off." I shrugged again as though fending off a centuries old fighter meant nothing. "That's it, not much to tell."

Edward was now mock growling at me and trying to nip at my hand where it covered his mouth, and I let it fall as I glared at him.

"Hey, watch the teeth," I said as he grinned back at me. He seemed more easy-going about what had happened now that it was over, and we were all safe. "There's just one thing that I don't understand. Alice, why the big deal about the purse?"

Alice was looking back at me far too innocently. She had that wide smile on her face that inferred she'd gotten away with something and I was just barely catching up to her.

"The purse?" She just looked at me until I lifted the offensive object and waved it at her.

"Oh. That. Just a few things I thought you might need," she said as she folded her hands in her lap demurely.

That made me immediately suspicious. I opened the purse and peered inside, pulling each item out one at a time. I pulled out a tube of lipstick, giving her a dirty look.

"You might have gotten chapped, Bella," she explained. "Moisture is important, and we were in a desert."

The next thing that came out was a black credit card in my name. I waved it at her grumpily. She flounced on Jasper's lap, letting out a sigh of disappointment.

"You might have needed some cash." Her tone gave a sense of desperate long-suffering as though she were the one that had to put up with _so_ much.

Next was the cell phone. I didn't bother to make a big deal about that and just dropped it back into the purse.

Lastly, I pulled out a lighter and I grinned at it. "I know what this is for," I said with a smile at her. "This was so I could bake the bad guy."

She grinned back and nodded. My gaze returned to her as I set the lighter on the coffee table.

"It matched the dress; didn't it?" I finally asked. She might have put some useful items in the purse, at least things _she_ thought were useful, but that didn't mean that she wouldn't use the lighter as an excuse to get me to carry a matching purse.

Her look grew disappointed. "You wouldn't have carried it otherwise, Bella, and it looked so pretty with your dress," she said with a smirk.

I rolled my eyes and put the purse on the table next to the lighter. "Now, I just have to figure out what to tell Charlie. He's not going to accept what I told him when I stomped out of the house. It isn't going to make sense, my coming right back home."

I was not looking forward to the fight that was sure to occur when I went back home. Charlie was surely going nuts, and I was sure that he'd gotten to my mother. If anyone could track her down, it was him. She'd be hysterical.

"I know what you could tell them," Edward said with far too much amusement in his voice as he stole one of my hands and dropped soft, loving kisses along my fingers. I was instantly suspicious.

"What?" I might be suspicious, but I'd take any help I could get.

"You could tell them I asked you to marry me and you panicked," he said in his deep velvet voice that often made me want to melt all over the floor.

I drowned in the feel of his voice for a moment before the words that he'd said hit me. Then I panicked, just as he suggested I would. I jumped to my feet and I started to pace in front of the couch.

"You have to be kidding me! My mother would freak out. Then Charlie would have a meltdown. Next my mother would kill me for getting so close to someone at seventeen that he'd ask to marry me." I didn't stop to breathe; I just kept going. "And then my father would kill me for taking off in a panic."

Edward, the traitor, started to laugh. It was a laugh I hadn't heard from him before, a deep, utterly amused belly laugh. So I was proving him right in his assessment of my reaction. That didn't matter as much as the fact that I didn't want my parents to kill me.

Just then my phone rang, and I pulled it back out of the little purse Alice had insisted went with the blue outfit. We'd been in such a rush to get back to Forks that I hadn't changed yet. I glanced at the caller ID before I hit the answer button. My mother. Finally she was making contact.

"Mom?" I hoped this was my mother and not Victoria saying I'd have to come to Florida to rescue my mother.

"Bella?" It sounded like Renee. "Bella? Where are you? Your father is having a fit that you've run off again."

Yeah, that was my mother, and she was freaking out, just as predicted.

"I'm fine. I did sort of run off again, but it wasn't something bad. I just needed some time to think." I begged her to be reasonable and not panic.

"You ran off? Where are you? Do I need to come get you? I knew it was a bad idea, you moving up there with your father." I could feel the rant beginning. If I didn't stop her, this could go on for awhile. I had to head this off before it got really bad.

"Mom, I'm fine. I'm back in Washington, and I'm absolutely safe. I'm not moving to Florida, though. I'll be back at Charlie's shortly." I didn't want to tell her just how close I was. "I didn't just take off. It's just...." I had to think of something, something reasonable that she'd believe that would cause me to take off at such short notice and so frantically.

"Edward asked me to marry him." It came out in a rush. It was all I could come up with that my mother would understand would freak me out so badly. I hoped it would stop the pending tirade.

There was silence on the other end of the phone. Well, I had succeeded in stopping the panic attack, but now, Edward was trying desperately hard not to laugh loud enough for my mother to hear. He was almost falling off the couch. Alice and Emmett were in much the same predicament, and I just rolled my eyes at them.

"He did what?" my mother demanded in a too quiet voice that I was afraid did not bode well for anyone.

"He asked me to marry him, and I just panicked," I repeated, making Edward laugh so much harder he rolled off the couch and onto the floor.

"Is it that serious already?" she asked, her tone remaining quiet.

"Well...." I didn't know what to tell her. "I do love him, Mom. I just don't know that I'm old enough to be engaged."

"Well, Bella, you know what's right for you. You're not like I was at that age. You've always been so much more mature than I was," she said gently, almost soothingly. "Is there ever going to be anyone else for you?"

I gaped in silence at the phone in my hand for a moment before I gained control of myself to answer her.

"Well, no." I gave her the serious answer; she deserved the absolute truth. "There will never be anyone else for me, ever."

"Then what is there to worry about?" my unpredictable mother advised me. "I do want to meet this boy, though. I also want you to wait for the wedding until after you graduate from high school. Finish school first."

"Uh, all right, Mom." I was stunned. This was not the reaction I was expecting from my mother.

"And I expect to see you both here in Jacksonville when school lets out. I want to meet this boy, and you haven't been to the new house yet," my mother said with almost faultless Renee-logic. I was still gaping at her reaction.

Edward was suddenly there behind me, his arms wrapped around my waist, and he pulled me into the circle of his arms. I calmed a little at his touch. We'd work it out, somehow.

"We'll have to see," I tried to say, but my mother was already moving on.

"You promise me about waiting until after graduation, right Bella?" she was insisting.

At first, I just nodded, and then I realized that she couldn't hear me nod. "Uh, yeah, okay, Mom." Then it occurred to me; where had she been? "Mom? Where are you?"

"Me?" Now she sounded sheepish. "I'm in Cancun."

I rolled my eyes. I should have expected something like this when no one could reach her.

"Why are you in Cancun, Mom?"

"Well, we had a little time before school started, and Phil and I thought we'd have a second honeymoon of sorts. I didn't know you were going to need me!" She started sounding defensive, and I struggled not to laugh.

"No, no, don't worry about it, Mom. I'm just fine, honestly. You finish your honeymoon with Phil and have a good time."

We said our goodbyes, and then Edward took the phone from my hand and hung it up. He tossed it over onto the couch next to Esme and turned me around to look at him. I blinked several times before I could speak. I did not expect this reaction from my mother at a possible engagement.

"What just happened?" I was hoping he could tell me because I still felt lost.

"You're engaged, Bella!" Alice jumped up over to us and announced with far too much glee. I stared back at her, and then my eyes narrowed.

"Nuh uh. No, I'm not, Alice. Edward never asked me. He said we could use the excuse that he'd asked me to marry him to explain things to my father," I corrected her savagely.

"Well, I had planned on asking you after the baseball game," Edward said very softly. My head whipped around to fix him in my gaze.

"What?" I was stunned again. Still. I didn't like this feeling of being off balance.

Edward just got down one knee, pulling a box out of his pocket and holding it up to me.

"I've waited for you for more years than I care to count, Bella," he said from his position on the floor at my feet. "There will never be anyone else for me either. Would you do me the honor of becoming my wife?"

He opened the box and revealed a ring. The ring. I blinked at it, too stunned to know how to react. I stared down into his face. He was serious. I dropped onto the couch beside Esme where we'd been sitting together only minutes earlier. He followed me, still kneeling. He looked nervous suddenly, closing the box again.

"We can talk about it later if you like," he said as he moved to put the box away again, and I stopped him with a soft touch to the hand holding the box.

"You've been planning that," I said softly, watching his expression carefully as he nodded.

"We'll talk about it later." I gave him confirmation that he wasn't getting any answers immediately.

To make up for my lack of a response, I leaned over and kissed him softly then drew him to his feet as I rose.

"Right now, I need to hunt, and then I have to track down my father. He's going to ground me for life." At the moment, I could handle the reality of the mundane things in my life better than I could the thought of getting married. That was something that could wait for another time.

Right now, my life was perfect, and I saw no need to change that immediately. I had Edward. We were both vampires and able to be together. I could hold his hand without having to worry about hurting or killing him. I had an entire vampire family that accepted me, wanted me and helped me take care of anything that needed taking care of. I had parents that loved me and supported me, no matter what happened.

I knew Charlie wasn't going to let me get away with taking off like I did, and he'd likely be unbearably rude to Edward. But even still, I couldn't imagine life being any better than this.


	21. Chapter 21 Interrupted

**Author's Notes: Second to last chapter. There are twenty-two chapters in this story at this time. As for Victoria, we don't know where she went or what happened to her. I am leaving it open. I might yet do a one-shot or a sequel. We shall see what time I have in the coming months.**

**PTB: As always, mcsc2008 and EmilyLinne did a wonderful job of doing the beta work on this chapter. My thanks and appreciation always.**

Chapter Twenty-One -- Interrupted

We left the Cullen house right away to go hunting. I hadn't been hunting since the night before we'd left for Phoenix, and I was sorely in need. My eyes were starting to change with my diet, and as the red faded, they would edge into the black zone with thirst.

Edward was especially careful with me this time, leading me deep into the mountains before suggesting that I let loose. I let him because I didn't want to slip, and he was able to scan the area for human minds when we couldn't utterly rely on our other senses.

I was able to find a bear just coming out of hibernation, which was Emmett's favorite apparently. I took it down fast and hard, holding it to the ground as I sucked it dry of blood. I had been learning and was a much more careful eater now than I had been the first few times Edward and I had been hunting, so I didn't get anything on Alice's blue outfit.

One bear wasn't enough for as hungry as I was, however, and I brought down several deer in addition to the bear before I was sated enough to head back toward Forks. Edward hunted when I did, so we were both feeling good when we came across a familiar scent in the mountains as we neared home. We stopped in a nearby clearing, and Edward was still for a moment before he turned to me to explain.

"The wolves noticed you were gone. Apparently, Charlie has been quite upset," he explained softly. "They could smell that you were back and have sent an emissary."

I blinked in surprise and then turned to follow the sound as I heard the movement. I was shocked when it was none other than Jacob Black who came out into the clearing. He was wearing only a pair of cut off sweats and a bit of string looped around his ankle several times. I smiled in welcome and took a step forward before I stopped. I didn't know if Jacob even wanted to be friends with me anymore and I stepped back again, closer to Edward.

"Hello, Jacob," I greeted him with a friendly smile. A girl could hope that her childhood friend wasn't just going to hate her because of some silly vampire/werewolf thing. Not that I remembered much about that childhood friendship, but I thought we had become friends since I had come to live in Forks.

Jacob stood there looking at me for several long moments before he glanced at Edward and then back at me. He sighed after a long moment, shaking his head.

"Part of me was hoping it wasn't true," he finally said.

"That what wasn't true?" I was trying not to read anything into his reaction, but so far, this didn't bode well.

Jacob tilted his head to look at me. I knew this habit well, but the look on his face was cold, unwelcoming, like the one Sam Uley had been wearing when he demanded to know if the treaty had been broken.

"You've known all along, huh, Bells?" Jacob demanded quietly, and I noticed his hands had begun to shake.

"Jacob, I didn't. Not at first. That first night you guys came to the house after I moved here, Billy noticed the change in me and the pack and your dad met with us that night. I didn't know before then that any of this might involve you, and your father made it clear that I couldn't tell you anything," I tried to make it right but didn't think anything I said was going to help.

"So it's true -- what Sam showed me?"

I glanced at Edward, not sure what Jacob meant. Edward had his arm wrapped tightly around my waist. It looked like he wasn't sure Jacob wasn't going to attack.

"They share memories, thoughts really, in the pack," Edward explained to me softly, earning a sharp look from Jacob. "Sam showed him the meeting with the pack and Billy when you explained how you were attacked."

It made more sense now, though Jacob stared at Edward in shock.

"Edward can read minds. Alice sees the future, and I seem to be a brick wall for things like mind reading and tracking and stuff like that," I told Jacob, kind of glad now that I could share things with him.

"Yes, we'd heard that you bloodsuckers sometimes had 'special' powers." Jacob's words were almost an attack given his biting tone.

I winced and turned to cuddle into Edward more closely which prompted Jacob to growl softly. He hated me now; I was the enemy. Why should he care if my boyfriend was holding me?

I glanced up again, and Jacob seemed to be having a hard time controlling the shaking that seemed to echo all over his body. After several minutes, he finally looked at me again.

"You disappeared again, Bella," he said softly. "I thought the point was to spare Charlie all this stress and pain."

"He came back for me," I said softly. I worried for a moment if that might set him off again. "I left to protect Charlie from the vampire that created me."

I was right, the shaking started again, only more violently this time, and Edward tugged me several steps back. At the sight of us moving away, Jacob took several deep breaths, struggling to calm down.

"The vampire who created you came back? Back for what, Bella?" Jacob wanted clarification.

"For me, Jacob. He intended to use Charlie as bait to lure me to him. He wanted to kill me. It was a sort of game to him." I watched Jacob carefully, ready to spring away if it was needed.

"Wanted?" Jacob keyed in on that particular word and its meaning, and I nodded in confirmation.

"He's dead now. We lured him away and killed him." It was the short version, but I didn't want to go into all the details. The end result was the same; James was dead.

Hearing the threat was over seemed to help Jacob calm somewhat, and he glanced at Edward before he looked at me again.

"He's dead?"

"Yep," I tried to turn things a bit lighter. "Ashes. Burned a whole building down around him to make sure there was nothing at all remaining."

"When was this?" Jacob kept glancing at Edward. I finally looked back up at him to see if I could figure out why, but he looked the same to me, so I looked back at Jacob again.

"A couple of days ago. We just got back."

"I did not use Bella as bait," Edward snarled suddenly, his tone fierce and angry.

I looked up at him in surprise and then back at Jacob and rolled my eyes.

"Jacob," I admonished softly, "you've known me since we were babies. Have I ever needed help in drawing out the biggest disaster imaginable? Edward and his family went after James while I was supposed to be safe in hiding."

"She snuck out," Edward clarified to Jacob after a pause in which I figured he was reading Jacob's mind, and I sighed.

Jacob's black eyes returned to me again and suddenly he started laughing.

"That's great, Bella. An entire clan of bloodsuckers and even they can't keep you in line and out of trouble." Jacob would find that extremely amusing. I didn't.

"Hey! It's not like I go out looking for disasters, you know. They come to me," I insisted, irritated that they were ganging up on me now.

"Yeah. So you're safe now?" Jacob wondered, seeming more like the boy I knew now that he wasn't being so dour.

"Maybe?" I shrugged. "He had a mate. A red-headed woman. We don't know what she'll do."

"Hmm," Jacob assessed and then shrugged and took a step back. "The pack needs to know what is up. It seems that you did the best that you could. I wish you'd have let us in on it, though. I wouldn't have minded killing some bloodsuckers."

Jacob paused while he stared at my face. "Wow, Bells. That's really freaky. How do you hide the 'evil' eyes from Charlie?"

"Colored contacts, and they're not 'evil'. At least, not as much as they were. They're fading more every day." I stuck my tongue out at the mouthy werewolf.

He grinned back at me.

"You're going back to Charlie's?" I nodded, letting him know that I wasn't going to leave my father hanging.

"My dad insists that we come by when you get back. I guess we're still babysitting you. I thought we were just hanging." He seemed less hostile about the situation now.

"With you, Jacob, we were just hanging no matter what your father's agenda was," I told him with a smile. "You going to be all right with that? The rest of the pack seemed to hate being around us. I'm really not going to hurt Charlie; you don't need to babysit me."

Jacob shrugged. "For a little while, Bella, let us keep an eye on you. It makes the elders happy, and they'll come to trust you in time," he reassured me.

I blinked in surprise, staring at him for a moment, and then I smiled just a bit.

"Does that mean we're okay? You don't hate me now?" I asked for clarification. I didn't want any misunderstandings

"I'll try, Bella, but to be honest, you stink." He reached up to rub at his nose, and I gaped at him.

"I stink? You're the one that smells. It positively burns my nose," I threw back at him with a smirk.

"Yeah, you say that to make yourself feel better about it, Bella," he teased back with a smile, and I knew that, for the most part, our friendship was going to be just fine.

"Just do me a favor and shower before Billy drags you over, Jake." I smirked and then took Edward's hand as Jacob backed into the trees.

"Yeah, I'll try to remember that." He waved as he moved further under the trees, turning to go.

Things weren't perfect between us. We were still vampires and werewolves to a degree, but I'd known Jacob for a long time, and I thought that this was something that we could eventually get around.

"Sure, sure, Jake, just don't be surprised if I dump a bucket of water over your head." I yelled once he was out of sight. "Wait, then you'd smell like wet dog."

His response was a laugh echoing through the forest. Edward then tugged on my hand to get my attention, smiling at me.

"That went better than you thought it would?" he asked as we started running, heading back to his house to pick up my truck.

I nodded with a smile. Jacob was talking to me and laughing at things instead of growling and trying to kill me. This was more than I had dared hope once I knew that he was going to become a werewolf.

"He doesn't seem to hate me just because I'm a vampire and he's a werewolf. That possibility worried me a little," I admitted and then smiled at him as we ran.

We neared the house, and I looked down at myself again and sighed, brushing at the skirt I was still wearing. We'd driven so hard so fast that I hadn't taken the time to change, and I needed to hunt more than anything else once we'd arrived back in Forks.

"I can finally get out of this skirt," I said happily as we got to the house and ducked into the garage for my bag that Alice had stashed in the back of the Mercedes.

"I like the skirt." The words Edward used were simple, but the tone was fervent, worshipful.

I looked up at him and laughed at the look on his face. His eyes were on my legs, his focus absolute.

"Why, Edward Cullen, do you have something to say about my wardrobe?" He blinked up at my face in surprise warned by the tone of my voice.

"Uh, no, Bella," he said carefully. "I'm just saying that, when you feel like dressing up a little, you look incredible."

I grabbed my bag out of the trunk and walked over to stand in front of him, my eyes meeting his as I leaned in close enough to kiss him but just breathed on him.

"Is Alice right, Edward?" I breathed against his lips.

"Usually. What about this time?" Every once in awhile I dazzled him like he always did me, and I loved it. This was one of those times.

"That you older men like a girl in a dress. Do you have a thing for me in a skirt, Edward?" I asked, my tone soft and smooth.

"Ungh," was his response as he tried to lean in further to kiss me. This was a new thing; I wasn't usually able to get Edward all muddled.

I guess that was my answer, considering that he couldn't really say anything coherent. I laughed and spun on my toes, walking past him and out the door.

"I'm going to go change," I informed him as I walked away.

"Change?" Edward followed me out of the garage, still in a daze. "You don't have to change. You look breathtaking."

"Exactly, Edward," I said as I walked toward one of the bathrooms in the house. "If I come home like this, Charlie will think we took off for some Spring Break fun. Do you really want Charlie to think you and I were off playing somewhere while he worried about me?"

I turned to give him a pointed look as I went to close the bathroom door. He was right behind me, still dazzled. "Hmm?" He looked confused at why I should shut him out, and I pushed him back several steps so I could close the door.

"Think about it, Edward." I called through the door as I changed and came out a moment later.

Edward was still standing directly outside the door, but he seemed to have shaken off most of the daze I'd left him in. He smiled at me as I emerged, and he shook his head slightly. I paused, listening to the house. It was absolutely silent. Everyone else must have gone out to hunt while we were gone.

"If you'd intended on changing into something that would help me clear my head, that isn't going to do it, Bella," he teased at my wearing my usual jeans and a t-shirt.

"You're just saying that to make me feel better about my casual wardrobe," I said with a smile as I slung my bag over my shoulder and went hunting down the keys to my truck.

I wandered into the main living area and sat down sideways on the piano bench. The keys to my truck were sitting carefully propped up on a sheet of music. I picked them up and turned to look at Edward as he joined me.

"Ok, how is this going to play out? Why did I decide it was safe to come back?" I wasn't good at this plotting-to-lie thing and figured it would be best if we all got our stories straight.

Edward pulled the box back out of his pocket and turned it around in his hand, though he didn't open it again. He looked down at it and then back up at me warily as though he expected me to freak out again. I blinked at it like it was about to grow two heads.

"You could tell him I tracked you down and talked you into coming back," he said gently. "Carlisle was with me, of course, to ensure that everything was most proper."

The box was turned around again in his hand, his fingers caressing the short velvet nap on the top of the box. It looked antique, as though he'd had it for some time. My eyes fixed on it, and after a moment, I reached out and plucked the box from his hand. He twitched, startled, as it disappeared.

I opened the box this time and looked down at the ring sitting so innocently inside. The face was a long oval, set with slanting rows of glittering round stones set in a web of delicate gold lattice.

"Tell me that you didn't spend a lot of money on this," I demanded breathlessly.

"I didn't spend anything on it, Bella," he said softly as he slid onto the bench next to me as if he were about to start playing, though his fingers only brushed the top of a couple of keys. "That is the ring my father gave to my mother."

I glanced back down at the ring in my hand in surprise and touched the top stones. His mother's ring. He'd saved it all this time -- just for me. I swallowed carefully.

"You really are serious about this marriage thing, aren't you?" I whispered softly, still staring at the ring.

"What are you thinking, Bella? It's killing me, not knowing," he said softly, little strands of stress filtering through his voice. Though he was trying to be nonchalant, this was very important to him. "Why is it such a big deal? We've talked about forever."

"You're going to laugh," I said softly, my finger brushing over the ring again. It was breathtaking.

"I promise I won't. I need to know."

"It's just, I'm not that girl." I looked up to meet his eyes. "The one that gets married right out of high school. Everyone is going to think that we _had_ to get married."

"Does it really matter what anyone else thinks, Bella?" he countered softly. "We're going to be together anyway. Besides, I was that boy. If I had met you then, I'd have courted you carefully and asked you to marry me as soon as I could. I was a man, even then, just waiting for the time when I was old enough that I could go off to war. It wasn't that big of a deal to get married so young; in fact, it was expected."

I tried to think about it as I thought he did. I tried to imagine the two of us together when he had really been seventeen. My mind produced a glorious white dress that I would have worn to marry him. It echoed of Anne of Avonlea, a delicate wax crown over the veil on my head. It would match this ring perfectly.

My eyes returned to him. He was watching me carefully, not sure what I was going to do at this point. My mind skimmed over so many of the things he had said and done, and I suddenly realized something. I smiled slowly, the gesture prompting Edward to shift nervously on the bench.

"This is why you're so careful about kissing me?" My fingers brushed the ring again. "It wasn't proper to get too involved with a woman before the wedding. You want a traditional wedding night."

Edward shifted on the bench again, clearing his throat nervously. It was a long moment of silence before he answered.

"There is so much that I've done in my life, Bella," he finally said softly. "This is the one thing that I have left. All the other commandments I've broken. But this one … this one I want to do right."

I watched his face carefully as he spoke and I think I was interpreting between the lines pretty accurately. He was talking about his soul, about the years he was away from Carlisle and about the things he'd had to do to protect himself or his family. I knew he hadn't been with anyone else that way as I hadn't. We both would be the other's first -- and last. There would never be anyone else for me. This was one thing I could give him -- something only _I_ could give him.

Most of the fears I had about marrying young were about my parents' reactions. I had thought my mother was going to freak out worse than she did when I'd gone missing. She'd always made such a big deal about marrying young when I was a child, about how much of a mistake it had been. She hadn't done what I'd expected, though. In fact, it seemed my mother had almost expected it.

My father was going to go off the deep end on me no matter what happened at this point. I turned the box around in my hand several times, the pad of my thumb brushing the top again and again. Edward was watching me so very carefully, trying to hide the nervous look on his face. He looked so on edge as though he expected me to throw the ring at him and take off running.

"I do want to marry you," I finally said softly, looking into the face that I adored so deeply. "I guess it's just the timing that I have issues with."

Edward flinched before composing himself and reaching for my free hand, threading his fingers through mine.

"Bella, does the timing matter so much? We are both outside of time at this point; it means so very little anymore." He pulled my hand up to his lips and he brushed kisses along the back of my fingers delicately as was his habit to do.

"I will marry you, Edward, and I will be with you forever. But don't you think this is a little much right now? I mean, I'm only a junior in high school." I threw out another of my reasons. He might be over a hundred years old, but I was still just seventeen.

"Is it, Bella? Are you anything like your usual junior in high school? You yourself say that your mother teases you about being born middle-aged, and becoming a vampire has separated you that much more from your peers." He was far too reasonable, dealing with all my irrational fears and issues with cold, hard logic. "Besides, it is something that will make sense to Charlie. It is reasonable for you to panic at the thought of getting married. In fact, you did precisely that when you thought it was _just_ a cover story. It also explains why you would come home. If I found you and talked you into marrying me, you'd no longer have a reason to stay away."

I watched him carefully, suspiciously. I had a feeling that he'd say almost anything he had to in order to get me to agree to this. I was being carefully manipulated, and he was more than aware that I knew what he was doing.

"You will do almost anything to get your way in this, won't you, Edward?" I said suspiciously. I wasn't going to allow deception between us, especially something as important as this.

"Almost anything, Bella," he admitted with that crooked smile that I so loved.

I looked back down at the ring again and took it gingerly out of its satin bed, turning it around in my fingers to look at it.

"It's beautiful, Edward; it really is." I put it back into the box carefully and handed it back to him, still open.

"But?" he prompted carefully, still waiting for my answer.

I still wasn't sure how to answer him. I knew there was no one else for either of us. We would eventually be married; I just wasn't sure that I wanted to do this _now_. He did have a point, though. This was something Charlie would understand, but I didn't want to do this for Charlie. If I was going to be engaged to Edward it would be because I adored him more than life -- a life that I wanted to share with him and only with him.

"We could wait a few years to get married, though, right?" I finally said, looking down at the keyboard on the piano as I brushed my fingertips over the top of a couple of the keys, mirroring Edward's earlier gesture.

Edward was up off the bench in the next breath, pulling me to my feet. He grabbed me in his arms and held me so tightly that if I'd been human, I wouldn't have been able to breathe.

"Is that a 'yes', Bella?" he whispered into my ear, his breath warm against my skin.

"Conditionally," I squeaked out, as he spun me around again. A moment later, he lifted and turned me until my back was against the keys and was on one knee in front of me on the floor.

"What are these conditions?" he asked seriously, looking up into my face.

"We wait a few years. I'm going to have to leave Charlie soon enough, let's not do it too soon." This was the most important factor to me.

"We can work out the timing later," he said as he pulled the ring from its safe place in the box and slid it onto the ring finger on my left hand. He sighed in delight as it slid right into place, a perfect fit.

I blinked at the sudden weight. He'd done it too quickly for the human eye, and I could read the delight in his expression, the satisfaction on his face. I was being claimed, though in my heart I was already his. He wanted everyone else to know that we belonged to each other.

I glanced at my hand again, at the ring that felt so heavy despite being so very delicate -- I felt the weight of its symbolism more than the object. This tied me to Edward almost completely. This ring was a part of him, part of his history, his human family. He wanted _me_ to have it, to be a part of his new family, his history, his future. In a way, by wearing his mother's ring, I claimed him as completely as he was claiming me. That part was fine with me, I wanted all the giggling little girls to understand that Edward Cullen was mine.

Edward was radiating smug satisfaction, and I couldn't help but laugh at his expression, curling my hand into a fist, holding the ring to me as I tried to become accustomed to the feel of it.

"So the fact that Mike Newton and his cronies won't be able to miss this isn't a factor at all, right, Edward?" I teased him with some amusement.

He looked up at me, and his smile turned sheepish.

"Well, it certainly doesn't hurt." He rose to his feet and tugged on my hand, drawing me up so that I stood before him.

He bent his head down, hands on my cheeks, and his breath was warm and sweet on my face. "But this isn't for Mike or Charlie or anyone else, Bella," he breathed against my lips. I was dazzled again. "This is about you and me and our life together. That's what's important to me, my love."

"Mmmm," I breathed back at him, too dazzled to speak as I leaned toward him for my kiss. He'd better give me a kiss at this point; I'd just agreed to marry him.

He leaned in just a bit more, and I got my wish, Edward's lips on mine. They were fervent this time, as he so rarely allowed, and I melted into his embrace.

There was a deliberate noise on the stairs which I ignored while savoring the feel of Edward's lips on mine. He sighed, drawing back much too quickly and looked up behind him to look at the person waiting there. His forehead dropped back to settle against mine as my eyes opened, and the crooked smile returned to his lips.

He wasn't any happier than I was about having our kiss interrupted, and I glanced around him to see who had prompted him to be willing to draw apart from me. Rosalie stood there on the bottom step, looking at him expectantly.

Another sigh escaped his lips, and I assumed that she was talking to him silently. I hated when people did that; it felt like they were deliberately trying to hide things from me. As far as I was concerned, the ring on my finger meant that there was nothing that affected Edward that wasn't my business, and I looked up at Rosalie pointedly. I waited.

Edward was the one that answered my look, however, drawing back from me slightly. I glanced at him in surprise, but he was looking at Rosalie.

"Don't take too long, Rose. Charlie's still expecting us and he's sure to be worried sick," Edward informed her a bit irascibly. "I'm going to go find Carlisle." Edward's attention returned to me briefly. "You did want him to come with us to see your father, right?"

How well he knew me. I nodded and watched as he walked out the back door and took off into the forest. Carlisle and Esme must have gone on a short hunt. My attention was drawn back into the room as Rosalie stepped down the last step and walked over to join me.

I watched her curiously. Usually, she went out of her way to avoid me, and when she did have to be in my presence, there was a perpetually irritated look on her face. Rosalie moved just past me and then gestured to the smaller seating area inside the large living room.

At this point, I was too curious to tell her what to do with herself and quietly walked over to sink into a comfortable overstuffed armchair. I pulled my legs up underneath me while I watched her settle elegantly on the seat nearest me.

"I wanted to apologize to you, Bella, for the way that I've been acting," Rosalie said to me quietly, looking at me directly like she actually meant it.

I almost fell out of my chair. I was so startled that it actually took me a moment to process the fact that she was serious. I must have been gaping at her like a fish for several seconds before I pulled myself together.

"Oh." I wasn't sure what I was supposed to say to that, but it explained why Edward was actually willing to give us a few moments alone. "Thank you for telling me, Rosalie. But I have to admit to being curious. Why the change of heart?"

"I've never really hated you, Bella, just what you represent: the constant threat to my family. Then, when you had to leave town so quickly, my husband was dragged into the hunting group that was supposed to find and kill that vampire." She looked down at her hands, and I could see she was trying to hide the shame in her eyes.

"It was very hard for me to watch my husband go off to risk his life defending someone who isn't even a member of our family," she admitted softly.

"I never asked him to do that, Rosalie," I reminded her gently.

"I know, and he'd have gone anyway. Emmett does not miss a fight because I'm worried about him. He tells me I'm crazy and goes anyway." Her smile was wry as she looked back up at me again.

"Alice called us from the airport in Phoenix after you took off. She told us what you had done. I couldn't be mad at you anymore. I understood why you'd done it."

That surprised me, and I am sure she could see it on my face. She smiled at me again and then leaned slightly forward.

"See, I don't think you were thinking too much about protecting yourself at that point, am I right? You thought your mom was in trouble, and you went off on your own to take care of it. That was just what I would do if something like that had happened to anyone in my family. I didn't think you had it in you to do what needed to be done even if you'd have to sacrifice yourself to do it."

I must have gaped at her again. Did this woman know _anything_ about me? How could she not notice that everything I had done since becoming a vampire had all been about everyone else?

"I know!" she said suddenly, looking guilty as she threw her hands up in the air with more animation than I'd ever seen in her. "Emmett said I was stupid not to see it before. But I felt like I had done you a disservice, so I wanted to apologize."

Just then, the back door opened, and Edward brought Carlisle and Esme in from outside, interrupting a conversation that was sure to only get more awkward. Edward took one look at me and walked over to take my hand, drawing me into his embrace.

Rosalie stood, tolerating the awkward moment only briefly before stepping back, more than willing to fade into the background at this point. "Thanks for letting me talk to you, Bella. I'm going to go find Emmett now." Then Rosalie was gone, and I could not help but release a sigh of relief.

Edward laughed at my reaction and hugged me to him tightly. "Sorry for leaving you alone, love, but she was desperate to make good, especially now that she can't say you aren't a member of the family anymore," he said softly into my ear.

Esme gasped behind us, and I tipped my head to see what she was so excited about. Her eyes were on the ring on my hand. She was nearly vibrating in her delight, and I laughed, shaking my head. At that moment, her reaction was exactly the reception expected from Alice.

"Don't get too excited, Esme. I have to graduate from high school first." I lifted my head to look at Edward. "But before that, I have to go home to Charlie. It isn't going to be easy to tell him about this. Remind me to make sure he doesn't have easy access to his gun."

Edward laughed at that, shaking his head. "He can't hurt me, love."

"Yeah, but I don't want to explain to him why you're faster than a speeding bullet." I looked around him to smile at Carlisle.

"It is much less likely to get violent if you come with us, Carlisle. If you don't mind?" I would have begged if I needed to, but Carlisle chuckled slightly and nodded.

"Alice warned us that you might need a bit of a buffer. I don't mind at all."

His smile was just as wide as Esme's. She was still grinning widely as she waved goodbye from the front porch. I felt a shiver go down my spine as I thought about what was coming. It was time to face Charlie.


	22. Chapter 22 Homecoming

**Author's Notes: So this is the end. At least, it is the end of this part of the story. I am thinking seriously about possible one-shot chapters in addendum to this. People have been asking for EPOV, Victoria resolution and just plain MORE. We'll see what we can do about some of those things. I honestly don't know if I'd be any good writing EPOV, but perhaps I'll give it a try in a few months just to see if I can do it believably.**

**PTB: mcsc2008 and EmilyLinne. They do fabulous work. Thank you, ladies!  
**

**Mel has been a beta on this story almost from the beginning. She's even done a 3****rd**** run on chapters that for one reason or another went to other betas. She has even taken the time to help me understand grammar rules and information that were so obscure only she would be a master of them. Through all this, she has kept my data correct, my plotlines fluid and more importantly, laughed through it all with me. If this story is any good, a big part of that is the hard work Mel has put into every chapter. A perfectionist through and through, I dedicate this chapter entirely to her. Thanks for everything, Mel. Even though this journey is over, I hope we'll still be good friends.**

Chapter Twenty-Two -- Homecoming

Carlisle followed us in his Mercedes back to Charlie's house. Edward and I were in my truck as it thundered down the street, announcing to all far and near that I was on my way. When I pulled up in front of the house and got out, Charlie was waiting for us on the front porch. Charlie's expression was suspicious when he saw that Edward was with me.

I waited at the corner of the front fender of my truck for Edward and Carlisle to join me. Edward took my hand as Carlisle led our small group up the steps to meet my father at the door. I was more than willing to let Carlisle shield me from Charlie's anger for the moment.

Charlie took one long look at the three of us. He nodded at Carlisle, and the two greeted each other as equals, shaking hands and exchanging greetings, before he opened the door and politely invited Carlisle inside. Edward and I got the stern wave to get our butts inside.

I slid past Charlie, dragging Edward with me. Carlisle joined us on the couch as Charlie dropped down into his favorite chair. Carlisle leaned back on the couch comfortably, and I knew by the look in his eye that he was enjoying our little drama. While Charlie was distracted with getting settled, Carlisle's eyes moved around the room, noticing the pictures I still hadn't been able to talk my dad into taking down. He smiled at how gawky and awkward I looked in all of them. I reached around with my foot and, in a move as fast as lightening, kicked his foot. My message was clear, no staring and giggling at the terrible Adolescent-Bella pictures.

Just in time, we were all looking innocent again as Charlie looked up at us, taking in our positions. I sat in the middle on the couch, Edward to one side of me and Carlisle on the other. Edward had my hand nearest him captured, and his fingers threaded through mine. I knew Charlie was seeing our relationship as he hadn't allowed himself to see before; he was observing just how close we seemed to be.

"All right, Bella," Charlie started as he watched Edward and me. "Want to explain this all to me?"

"I panicked," I said as though I was admitting something uncomfortable, using the explanation that Edward had given me.

"Why?" Charlie's tone was far too knowing, too sure. At that point, I knew. My mother had already gotten to him and given him the run down.

"It just didn't seem real," I said quietly, looking down at my feet, "Edward wanting me to marry him. It was just too good to be true."

My eyes lifted to meet Edward's, and he smiled at me reassuringly. The reasons I could give Charlie were ones that _did_ worry me; these things did make it hard for me to just agree to believe that Edward really did want me. But I'd gotten over them some months before. Edward worked hard to show me that he adored me in every way that I would allow.

"I mean, look at him," I gestured with my hand as I looked at my father. "He's intelligent, far too attractive than any man has a right to be, self-sacrificing, kind. More than I can even put to words, but he says he wants to spend his life with me. I find it very difficult to accept."

I smiled into Edward's face as I saw him fight not to reject everything I said and provide all the reasons why I was so much more interesting, intelligent, wonderful, etc. than he was. I just laughed at the look on his face and reached up to cover his mouth so he couldn't throw in at this point. He started leaving kisses on my fingers where they were covering his mouth, and I dropped it again, turning to see Charlie's disapproving glare.

"After I brought Bella home, I went home to explain to my family what happened. I gave her a cell phone some months ago for emergencies and so I called her after a few hours later to make sure she was all right. I found that she had taken off and was driving to Phoenix. Carlisle and I went right after her, of course. We finally caught up with her after she had arrived in Phoenix," Edward supplied, continuing his part of the story.

"We found a hotel near her mother's house," Carlisle confirmed in a quiet voice. I knew he found this far too amusing.

Charlie was nearly frothing at the mouth until Carlisle said something. He seemed to calm down a little when he was told that we had been supervised by a parent. He still wasn't happy, though.

"It took some time to convince her to even talk to me," Edward continued. I was glad he had since I didn't know how to explain this part. "Then even longer to convince her I was sincere. You know how stubborn she is, sir."

Charlie had to nod at that; if there were awards for sheer stubbornness, I would probably have won a few. Edward's hand brushed over the ring on my finger, feeling it against my skin. You wouldn't know it to look at him, but he was radiating immense satisfaction that I was wearing his mother's ring. I knew him so well I could feel it.

"Once I had convinced her that I was serious but that we didn't need to make any decisions now, we returned immediately. I am sincere, Chief Swan. I know we're still young, but how we feel about each other will not change in the next year. Bella has agreed to be my wife after we graduate. We would like your blessing." I let Edward play the good guy here. It would help Charlie to accept him again if Edward was being protective of me, but I rolled my eyes.

"Sure, sure," I said, using one of Jacob's phrases that had always made me laugh.

Carlisle was trying his best to look stoic and parental. It almost made me want to laugh, but Charlie was genuinely upset. While the three of us were perpetrating an elaborate act to keep all the humans safe, especially my father, I still felt like a fraud.

"So, what, now you're engaged?" Charlie demanded with a hint of disgust laced with strain in his voice.

"Technically," I hedged. I may have gotten off easy with Renee, but Charlie was not going to give any quarter here. "It will be a long engagement," I tried to sound soothing. "We're not in a hurry to rush into anything."

"In a big enough hurry to get engaged at seventeen," Charlie muttered under his breath in a tone that I wouldn't have been able to hear so clearly had I been human.

He kept sending Edward dirty looks, and I could see his eyes dart toward the peg in the kitchen where he hung his gun when off-duty. He couldn't be seriously thinking about shooting the love of my life, could he?

"Dad." I didn't try to hide the warning in my tone. "Stop it. Edward isn't at fault here for my taking off; that was all me. Not only that, you have been cold and mean to him from day one and that's got to stop. He's not leaving. Edward is the one I want and you're going to have to learn to deal with him being around."

He continued to glare at Edward, and I could see that he was contemplating ways he could attempt to scare Edward away when I mentioned it. The noise of derision that escaped from Charlie's lips set off something in me. Suddenly, I was done with all of it. Everyone else had been getting their way for months, pushing me around like a beach ball floating on the waves.

James had decided I'd be more fun to hunt as a vampire. I had to move to Forks just to be able to live more like a normal human to keep the secret from my parents. Alice wanted to dress me up like a doll. James had wanted to get me away from my vampire family so that he could try to kill me. Edward wanted to marry me, to stake his claim, to keep me forever. Charlie wanted Edward to go away. This was where I drew the line. I was done just sitting back and letting everyone else have what they wanted to the detriment of my own desires.

This one Charlie wasn't going to win. Being apart from Edward would hurt more than Charlie's human mind could probably even comprehend, and I would not allow it, not even for my father. In this case, I was going to insist on my own happiness. I wasn't giving him up.

Edward's only warning that I was about to go even the slightest "newborn" was a tightening of my hands on his. His hands tightened back around my own, urging restraint, reminding me that control was important to me.

"That's enough." It slipped out from my lips before I could censor it.

Carlisle stiffened beside me as though to help Edward if I had to be restrained from attacking. The lack of faith from either side of me only caused a deeper reaction, and I growled under my breath in a sound too soft for human ears. A warning.

"I'll be eighteen in a few months, Dad. If you can't come to terms with Edward being a part of my life and treat him with the respect due another human being who has done nothing to hurt you, then I will have to find someplace else to live." Anger laced my tone, and I didn't try to rein it in. I was serious in a way I don't think the rest of them understood to what depths.

"In fact, I think I'll move in with Edward's family earlier than we'd planned." I watched the shock and anger on my father's face as he realized what I meant. He did not want me living in the same house as my boyfriend.

Edward and Carlisle started in surprise. My retaliation was verbal instead of physical, threats instead of attacks. Edward's surprise was more than that, however. He'd willingly take me in and let me live with them, but he was also grateful for the barrier Charlie created that kept both of us innocent until we'd said the vows he was so looking forward to.

I watched my father instead of the two men beside me. They'd support me, but Charlie was still a wildcard. My father was getting that look on his face that I knew mirrored mine, the stubborn one that did not bode well since it meant we were about to go head-to-head. It didn't happen often, but it was epic when it did. Edward and Carlisle were about to get a lesson in just exactly where I got some of my more … unique traits.

Charlie changed tactics, I'd expected that, and I waited for his volley. He turned to Carlisle.

"Carlisle, you can't support this," Charlie thrust out, trying to gather Edward's _adoptive_ father into agreeing with him. But I knew something Charlie didn't: Carlisle was still worried about me living with Charlie and would actually be happier if I lived with them and just visited with my dad.

"Charlie," Carlisle's tone was apologetic, like he wanted to agree with Charlie but just couldn't bring himself to give in. "We _have_ discussed that Edward and Bella would live with us after their wedding, like the other children will. I have to say, that if she feels like she has to leave your home, I would rather that she be with us than off on her own or homeless."

I could almost sense Charlie deflating just a bit but recalculating another maneuver if this one died altogether.

"I would rather have them living with us where we can still ensure some distance in their relationship than to have them take off together. That is another option that I wouldn't put past them if Bella no longer felt at home here, Charlie." Carlisle threw out the one thing that would immediately take the wind out of my father's sails.

I nearly laughed at that. Edward's family wouldn't care if we took off together. He wasn't a child. He was old enough to be Charlie's grandfather and well knew how to handle himself even if I was simply a seventeen-year-old girl. Edward also had more money at hand than I was even aware of; I always tried not to think about just how rich the Cullens were.

We could literally disappear for months or years on end, checking in with the rest of the Cullen's periodically and they wouldn't think anything of it other than that they might miss us. We could, quite literally, travel the world.

But Carlisle knew that I wanted to be here. I wanted to spend the time that I had with my parents. I only had about a decade at most before I would most likely have to disappear altogether to keep the secret and that decade meant a lot to me to be able to be available to my parents. Carlisle was trying to help my real goal along.

But Carlisle also knew that Edward was my mate in the way that vampires measure that soul deep connection. Edward was literally the other half of me, the way Esme was for him. There was no Bella without Edward. I'd leave my parents behind if I had to in order to be with Edward and keep him safe. In the end, I would have to leave my parents eventually, but I was never leaving Edward. Ever.

Charlie gave Carlisle a look of disappointment in what he must have seen as a betrayal of the parental code, and he deflated just a bit more. Carlisle was only echoing things that Charlie would want. He would want me safe and nearby where someone he trusted could keep an eye on me. He was starting to reassess what he wanted from this meeting. Was Charlie more concerned with putting some distance between Edward and me, or was he more concerned with keeping me safe and close enough that he could dictate the depth of our relationship, at least for a little while longer? I knew which desire would win. I had no question of it. It was just getting Charlie there in my own way, letting him think it was completely his own idea.

In the end, Charlie wanted the time with me that he felt he'd lost when Renee had taken me and run. He had enjoyed this time that we lived together, the meals that we spent talking about various things. He loved playing the part of concerned father, trying to protect me and doing battle with my boyfriend about how much was allowed. He was doing father-things for the first time since I was a baby. Renee and I hadn't given Charlie much chance to really be my father and it seemed to mean a lot to him to do it now.

In a way, Charlie was fighting against time to keep me as his little girl just a little while longer. Little did he know -- I hoped he would never know -- a sadistic vampire had taken the last bit of girlish innocence away from me in the Arizona desert. It had happened before I'd even come to live here with him.

I was playing at the role for Charlie, to make him happy, at least for now. But he had to play fair. There were things I was not giving up. My anger melted away at the sad look deep in my father's eyes. I was suddenly back to being the beach ball being pushed around on the waves.

"Dad, I don't want to move out, but Edward isn't leaving. You're just going to have to get used to the fact that he's going to be around, and we're going to be together. But we want to do this in the right way for us." I gave him a little smile, letting him know that everything was still good between us.

"I promised Mom that I wouldn't get married until after graduation. So you don't have to worry about anything until at least then." I squeezed Edward's hand to let him know I was still okay. "I even agree that you should ground me; I deserve it for taking off like I did."

Charlie looked down at the way my hands were linked with Edward's. I knew he saw how we touched each other in some small way almost constantly, the way I'd noticed that Carlisle and Esme did. He sighed after a long moment of silence, and I could see the moment where he decided to back down.

"Fine," Charlie gave in reluctantly. "I'll be nice and you won't take off suddenly again. And no eloping. Give me some warning, please Bella? As far as being grounded, you better believe that you are. I can't believe you took off like that again, Bells. You know what it did to your mother and me the last time."

I knew the moment that he started calling me Bells that everything would be all right, that he forgave me, even if he wanted to continue to torment me for a little while longer.

"No more camping, though. Not while you're grounded!" He tried to sound stern, but he didn't fool me this was another way to create distance between Edward and me.

"Now, Charlie." Carlisle cleared his throat as he leaned forward to interrupt. "I don't want to interfere in your parental rights with Bella, but I would like to ask that you not take away the camping trips. They mean so much to Esme. She enjoys all the girls so very much and sees Bella as part of the family now -- one of her daughters. I would see it as a great favor if you'd let Bella continue to accompany us. It's one of the few things that distract Esme from the fact that we cannot have children of our own. It means so much to her."

Carlisle pulled out the big guns. He was now playing dirty, and I was completely surprised, but I didn't say a thing. This was now between Charlie and Carlisle, and I trusted Carlisle to get done what needed to be done.

My father was sitting on the edge of his chair with his elbows rested on his knees, and after a moment of looking at Carlisle, his head dropped into his hands. This was so stressing for my father. I hated having to do this to him, but the "camping" trips could not stop. I couldn't be out in public on sunny days. After several long minutes, Charlie finally lifted his head, and sad eyes looked back at me. This was the face of the man who had rocked me as a baby, held me when I cried, and put up with years of whining about his home to the point when he'd go anywhere I asked to spend even a few weeks of the summer with me.

I looked back at him steadily. There was so much that we both wanted to say right now, but neither of us knew just how to do it. The silence grew, awkward and expansive, until my father cleared his throat and looked down again at his hands that had moved to be clasped in front of him.

"Bella," he said after what seemed like forever, "you're still so young for all of this. I'm not sure you know what you're getting into."

"I _do_ know, Dad." I tried to soothe him. "Edward and I aren't in a big hurry to get married. I'm not so eager to move out. I just moved here. Maybe it would help if you thought of it as a promise ring instead of an engagement ring."

Charlie's eyes went to my left hand that was clasped so gently in Edward's fingers and his eyes widened in surprise.

"Let me see this ring, Bells," he said softly.

I got up and walked over, offering my left hand to him. Edward sat forward on the couch, watching carefully. Charlie took my hand in his, peering down at the ring, and he turned my hand around this way and that to see each side. He dropped it after a moment and sighed as I returned to my spot on the couch.

"That's really unusual," Charlie finally said.

"It's been in my family since the late 1800s," Edward admitted quietly. It would not be prudent for him to admit that it had been his mother's. It was safer to give it a more vague history, but I knew it meant more to him than just the years he'd held onto it.

Only one other woman had worn this ring. The fact that he wanted it on my finger spoke of the depth that he felt for me. There really was not and would never be anyone else for either of us.

"So, all those stones. It's real?" Charlie choked this out, and I wasn't surprised since it had been my initial reaction, too.

"Of course!" Edward's tone was almost insulted. "I would never give Bella costume jewelry, especially not for something so important. I have had to tell her, and I will repeat it again for you, Chief Swan. Bella is the most extraordinary woman I have ever known. I love her so completely that my life is empty without her."

Charlie watched Edward with dark eyes. I knew he was taking in the protective posture as Edward had taken my hand back to cover it with his own. I knew he noticed the way that Edward turned toward me as I sat beside him, the way he was ready to jump up to take care of anything that was needed. Charlie observed the tone, the pitch, and the words that Edward spoke. I knew Charlie viewed Edward as a cop would look at a suspect: assessing honesty, depth, feeling -- all the things that would tell Charlie if he could trust Edward with his only daughter. I knew how my father's mind worked and I could nearly see each thought as it passed through his mind. It wasn't as clear as Edward's mind reading, but I knew my father well after these months of living with him.

I have no idea what Charlie decided, but he turned to look at me again, his eyes still sad, and he just nodded. "I can't live your life for you, Bells," he said quietly. "But I do want you to be careful. I don't want you making the same mistakes that your mother and I made."

"I'm not, Dad. Mom's given her blessing, you know. She freaked out much less than you did." I wanted to remind him that if there was a bad guy in this, he could blame it on Renee who had given in almost immediately.

Suddenly, Charlie stiffened and he shot a suspicious look at Edward and then back at me.

"Bella, you're not … you don't _have_ to get married, do you?" Charlie demanded with a suddenness that almost startled me.

I could not help it; I burst into laughter. Children were not ever in my future. I was unchangeable now -- forever seventeen.

"No, Dad. I'm not pregnant. Edward and I aren't ... we're not ..." I trailed off, not wanting to talk about this, especially in front of Carlisle and Edward.

Charlie seemed surprised at that. I think he really thought Edward and I were trying to get away with as much as any normal pair of teenagers would. Honestly, if it were just me, he might be right, but Edward was so careful with our relationship, trying to ensure that he was doing everything just right.

Edward wasn't only trying to take care of me with whatever I needed in this life, but also when it came time for me to meet God, he wanted to ensure that we hadn't done anything together that would keep me from heaven. I also knew that he didn't think there was anything he could do that would gain him entry, but I knew better. If there was a God passing judgment on us all, Edward was as likely to get into heaven as I was. Edward planned for eternity, and not just in the sense that, as vampires, we really might live forever. It meant a lot to me that I meant so much to him.

Glancing back at Carlisle again, Charlie shrugged. "Fine, camping with Esme, but your time with Edward is seriously restricted, Bells. You have a real curfew now. You come straight home after school, and all guests are out of the house at nine o'clock." He was laying down the law as he saw it, and I tried to look serious as he detailed his conditions.

I knew this was not going to change our habits and lives much but kept my mouth shut. If this made him happy, I'd put up with it for a few weeks, maybe a month or two. I wasn't sure how long he intended on keeping me grounded.

"All right, Dad," I agreed quietly, trying to look reluctant but accepting.

Charlie then looked over at Carlisle as he avoided looking at Edward. I could see that, no matter what I said, he was going to be angry at Edward for a long time.

"Thank you for bringing her home safe," Charlie said to Carlisle. It was obvious that he didn't give any credit for this to Edward.

Carlisle just nodded in agreement and rose to his feet, gesturing with his hand to Edward that it was time to go. Edward was expecting this, however and he rose to his feet to follow his "father" to the door. I walked with them to see them out with Charlie was right behind me to supervise. I wasn't going to let him go without even a hug, though I kept it brief and politely closed the door behind them as they left.

It was always hard on me to watch Edward leave, but I knew I'd find him up in my room after Charlie went to sleep. I was still technically being babysat, and Edward wouldn't allow me to be without protection with werewolves around. After closing the door, I turned back to look at my father leaning on the inside of the front door.

"Dad, I'm really sorry." I did want him to know that I did feel badly about what had happened. He would always think I was just being an impulsive, moody teenager when I'd done it to save his life. I still felt sorry about causing him worry and pain, however.

"You can show me that by not running off anymore, Bella. This is the second time now." His voice sounded a little strangled and it made me feel even more horrible than I already felt.

Neither time had been my fault, but I could never reveal that to him which meant that I had to accept the punishments I was going to get as a result of the stories I'd had to tell.

"I know, Dad. I think Edward is a steadying influence, though. He's so much more mature than other boys our age and he means everything to me." I didn't think it would work, but I did have to try to get him to accept Edward in my life.

Charlie just grunted and then gestured upstairs, pointing his thumb up behind him toward my room. "Go on and make sure that you've got all your homework done before school starts again on Monday."

I nodded though I was near the top of my class in almost everything. Edward and Alice were really my only rivals. I tried to look as though I were dragging my feet as I headed up the stairs and closed my bedroom door behind me.

My homework was already done; it was one of the things I had used to help pass the time when we'd just been sitting and waiting in Phoenix. I still spread everything out on the table, leaving a pile of completed items that my father could review if he wanted. I knew he wouldn't, but it would make him feel better just to see it sitting there.

I climbed on my bed into my comfy spot and looked up as the window slid open silently. Edward climbed inside and then closed it behind him, every movement furtive and silent. He slid onto the bed beside me into his comfy spot and I cuddled into him, resting my head on his shoulder.

"I hate doing that to him," I said softly. That had been a high stress situation for everyone and Edward holding me like this was calming.

"He'll forgive you, Bella. He's just worried that if he goes too easy on you, like your mother did, that you aren't going to learn from what he sees as mistakes. He thinks you'll think it's acceptable to just take off and you'll do it again and again," Edward told me softly, right into my ear.

"I will if I have to, not because it's something I enjoy. Next time something like this happens, Edward, we're telling him that Esme has this fabulous place she wants to take me camping that is in Timbuktu or something." I tilted my head up to smile at him. "That way I'm leaving legitimately, not running away."

He laughed softly at that and tightened his arms around me. I couldn't quite relax completely in my father's house. I still battled myself constantly not to bite him. But here, in Edward's arms, it was as good as it got. "Do you think something like this is going to happen again?" he asked suddenly.

I shrugged. "With my luck, anything is possible."

We fell into silence again, and my mind went over the last few months. I was amazed at the things that I had experienced, seen and done. Everything in my life had changed. I had changed. My future held things that I never would have expected though, if I had known Edward was out there waiting for me, I'd have accepted them eagerly.

I wondered, as I sat within my beloved's arms, what the future would bring. Alice knew, to a degree, but some things she didn't think were appropriate to share. I think she feared it would change the future that we all wanted if she said too much. I didn't worry about that at this moment, however. I knew a part of what my future would be. It would be forever with Edward. When I had that to look forward to, it didn't matter what happened or where we were, or even what we did, as long as we were together where I always wanted to be.

"Thank you, Fate," I said too softly for even Edward to hear, and I smiled against his shoulder.

_Sonnets from the Portuguese_ by Elizabeth Barrett Browning

"XLIII"   
How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.  
I love thee to the depth and breadth and height My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight  
For the ends of Being and ideal Grace.  
I love thee to the level of everyday's  
Most quiet need, by sun and candlelight.  
I love thee freely, as men strive for Right;  
I love thee purely, as they turn from Praise.  
I love thee with the passion put to use  
In my old griefs, and with my childhood's faith.  
I love thee with a love I seemed to lose  
With my lost saints,—I love thee with the breath,  
Smiles, tears, of all my life!—and, if God choose,  
I shall but love thee better after death.

**THE END ****(maybe)**


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